I Still Choose You
by onceuponagleetime
Summary: Often times, people come and go from our lives with no explanation why. Quinn Fabray and Blaine Anderson soon discover what it means to find comfort from an unexpected person, especially in a time of need.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Nothing in this story belongs to me. Sad but true.

A/N: So yeah…recently became a Quaine shipper. I know, I know. But better late than never, right? Anyway, the starting ship for this is Blainchel and Fabrevans, but don't let that throw you off. This is definitely a Quaine fic. These couples just add to the plot and drama of the story. Santana plays a huge role in the plot so she will be featured as one of the main characters along with Quinn, Blaine, and Rachel. And since Kurt is my baby, I can't leave him alone and sad so there will be mentions of side pairings, but Quaine will for sure be the main focus. Also this is pretty much nothing like the show as far as couples goes but there will be mentions of things from Season 1, 2, and 3 so warning in case you haven't watched that yet. And I think that's about all you need to know. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

As Rachel Berry's voice filled the entire choir room, Quinn couldn't help but to take this moment to evaluate her life. It's not like she wouldn't hear Berry's voice tomorrow or every day after that. She was currently in the first week of her senior high school career, and it was already a nightmare. Being back on the Cheerios put her right back at the top of the social ladder. Meaning she had her reputation and appearance to keep up with. High school was never easy, especially after a teen pregnancy, but Quinn knew this was her year to reclaim everything that she had lost.

It's not that Quinn didn't want royalty back on her side. In fact, she craved it, but everything came with a price. Averting her eyes from the floor, she chanced a glance at her current boyfriend, Sam Evans. The two had reconnected over the summer. Quinn didn't love him though. Maybe at one point in her life she had, but nothing set in stone.

Like many other things in her life, love just wasn't on her to do list. It took a lot to be at the top of McKinley's 'It' list, which meant having a popular boyfriend even if you didn't love them. So she sat in the choir room, listening to the words pour out of Rachel's mouth, with Sam's arm slung around her shoulder. Playing the role of the perfect girlfriend was a challenging task, but someone had to do it.

Quinn let these thoughts escape her mind as she noticed Rachel standing in front of Blaine now, singing her little heart out. She didn't even have to look over to know that her best friend would be fuming, and more than likely shooting daggers into the back of Blaine's head.

Yep, it never failed.

Placing her lips as close to Santana's ear, careful not to speak any louder than necessary, she softly whispered the words she knew would send the other girl over the edge. "Careful San, your gay is showing."

The dark haired girl sat up in her seat, removing her eyes from Blaine and over to Quinn. "Shut it, princess. You have no idea what you are talking about."

"Wait…if Quinn is a princess does that make me the prince?" A grinning Sam interrupted their little dispute before it even begun.

Sometimes Quinn had no idea how she even put up with Sam or his weirdness. Sure, he was a decent guy, someone she would have fallen over last year. Things had changed though. Having to grow up at the age of sixteen made a person realize that these little quirks weren't cute. They were ridiculous.

"Yeah Trouty, you are a regular Prince Charming. Dream on. You are nothing but a prop so little miss perfect can get her spot back at the top" Santana smirked, leaning back in her seat with a satisfied look on her face.

Quinn knew she should say something. Anything to defend Sam and make him realize that this statement was far from the truth, but no words were coming to her. She wondered if it was because no one ever won a fight with Santana or simply the fact that she wasn't wrong. Either way, it didn't stop guilt from filling her whole body the moment she spotted the look on Sam's face.

"Right, Santana. You'd know all about Prince Charming. I mean with you being in love with the school's biggest loser. I'd say that was a fairytale all in its own." Kurt chirped in from behind the trio.

A small giggle escaped Quinn's mouth, and the small slap of hands between the two didn't go unnoticed by Santana. This only seemed to fuel her rage even more.

"Screw both of you. I hate all of you fuckers." This outburst didn't go unnoticed by Mr. Shuester, who quickly signaled for Rachel to stop singing.

"Santana! What did I tell you about that kind of language in this room? Would you like to leave?"

At this, Santana rolled her eyes before turning the blame on Rachel. "What about her? How do you know her annoying little show didn't send me into overdrive? I think having to see her give Warbler a lap dance is enough to drive even a nun to use profanity."

"Excuse me, Santana," Rachel started, speaking for the first time since she was silenced by Mr. Shue, "but I don't exactly see how my performance was provocative in any way, shape, or form. I was merely expressing my feelings to my boyfriend."

"Oh, please. Feelings? You need to be singing about how your so-called boyfriend uses enough hair gel to drown an entire family of whales."

Quinn noticed the small frown that formed on Blaine's face, and the way his hand seemed to linger over his hair. It was a weird occurrence, but she actually found herself feeling bad for the boy. Being on the receiving end of Santana's wrath was harsh, but being on the receiving end and not knowing why—well that was just unfair.

"That's it. Out in the hallway now, Santana." Mr. Shuester exclaimed, pointing his finger towards the door for emphasis.

Within a few seconds, Santana had her cheer bag wrapped around her shoulders and was heading out the door. The whole Glee club seemed to be frozen on the spot, as the bickering voices of Santana and Mr. Shuester could faintly be heard.

"Well, damn." Puck said, breaking the silence. Rachel had moved to her seat in the front row next to Blaine, as Tina, Mike, Artie, and Mercedes sat in silence around them.

Kurt leaned up, patting his friend's shoulder. "I think we need to invest in her some therapy and ASAP."

All Quinn could do was nod in agreement.

Glee practice was called to an end the minute Mr. Shuester returned. Once outside, it didn't take Quinn and Kurt long to find Santana leaning up against her car, with a look of pure hatred spread across her features. The duo exchanged a worried look before making their way over to their other friend.

"Not a freakin' word. I'll kick both of your asses if you even utter a word that doesn't have to do with coffee or us going to The Lima Bean. I'm furious and I need to get my drinking on."

Usually Quinn wouldn't take this kind of treatment from Santana. She knew her threats were harmless, and were normally only given to keep up her 'badass' reputation, but she knew enough to keep her mouth shut this time. Kurt opened his mouth to speak, but no words seemed to come out. It looked like they had the same understanding when it came to Santana and Snix.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, the three friends found themselves sitting at their usual table, sipping their coffee, and making small talk. Well, Kurt and Quinn were talking. Santana just starred angrily out the window.

Quinn bit her lip as she began to retell Kurt that her home life was perfectly fine. It's something the boy asked her on a daily basis, and even though she knew he meant well by it, it still wasn't the easiest topic to discuss. That's pretty much how their friendship started in the first place.

Before summer, they barely even spoke—unless to discuss something Glee related. But whenever her mother had invited her father back to live with them, and Kurt felt like Rachel had betrayed him by 'stealing' Blaine away, the two kind of just stumbled into each other. It didn't take them long before they were sharing a pint of ice cream and releasing all their secrets to each other. Quinn wasn't sure why she decided to spill all her family problems on Kurt, or why he choice her to disuse the ups and downs of boys, but she chalked it up to the saying about strangers being the best people to talk about problems with.

The two had been inseparable since, and Santana kind of just got thrown into the mix by her association with Quinn. The three made the oddest friendship in all of Lima, but Quinn wouldn't change a thing about it. She loved both of the people sitting around her, even if Santana did threaten her life every day, and Kurt made eyes at Sam when he thought nobody was looking.

The sound of bells from the entrance drew Quinn's focus from the top of the table to the door. She let out a small sigh, knowing it was fixing to be World War III. The Lima Bean residents would be lucky if they made it out alive.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me. Can't I ever get away from those two?" She asked in disbelief. Quinn had hoped that Blaine and Rachel would get in and out without Santana spotting them, but fate always seemed to have a hand in her life. Unfortunately for her, it never seemed to be on her side.

Kurt rolled his eyes as he followed the two girl's gazes up to the front of the register. It was a well-known fact to Quinn and the rest of the New Directions members that Kurt still very much held a grudge toward them two. She'd never say it out loud, but Kurt was being a little irrational over the whole thing. Love might have never been something that worked out for her, but she knew enough to know that you couldn't help falling for someone. If the newly termed 'Blainchel' was the real deal, then Kurt needed to learn to accept this and move on.

"It's called Karma, San. You are rude to everyone, therefore you are forever doomed to be haunted by the thing you want the most." Kurt stated, always the voice of reason out of their group.

Santana made a grab for her now empty cup and tossed it in Kurt's direction, causing a small squeak to erupt from his mouth.

"Are you insane?! Do you know how much this jacket cost me? And it was on sale."

"Let's get one thing straight," Santana began, blatantly ignoring the boy's outburst, "I do not want Berry. I never have and I never will. I don't want her, her annoying Broadway obsession, those ugly ass animal sweaters, or the fact that she can only attract seemingly gay men. Conversation over, Lady Face."

Laughter was now spreading around their table, causing the other patrons to stare at them. Once Kurt and Quinn settled down a little, the blonde gave her friend an apologetic look. "Sorry, Santana but you have it a lot worse than we thought."

"Hello, fellow Glee clubbers. It's not surprising to me to find you guys present in this establishment. I'm just a little thrown off at what is so funny." None of them had to look over to know who that voice belonged to. It's the last thing Quinn wanted. Not that she had a problem with Rachel—not any more at least, but Santana had already gone off once today. No one wanted a repeat.

Santana's face was exactly what Quinn figured it would be; full of the rage that had exploded earlier in the choir room. God, how did she find herself stuck in these types of situations?

"Listen up, Streisand cause I'm only gonna say this once. It's none of your damn business what we are laughing at. Now take your gayer than gay boyfriend, and scram before I have to resort to violence."

Kurt clapped his hands, breaking the eye contest currently going on between the two girls. "It's time for me to hit the road. I've got a study date with your boyfriend, Q. Seems he's fallen a little behind in Math." It wasn't long before Kurt had gathered up his belongings without so much as waiting for a goodbye.

Tension filled the room with Santana and Rachel still staring each other down, Blaine nervously swaying back and forth on his toes, and Quinn swirling her fingers over the top of her coffee cup. It wasn't shocking that Rachel was the first one to break the silence.

"Excuse me for a moment. I must go freshen up in the restroom. I'll be back in a moment." Giving Blaine a small nod and breaking eye contact, she spun on her heels before being stopped by an outstretched arm.

Quinn wasn't exactly sure when Santana had gotten up from her seat, but the pair was now back to their death glare. "While you are at it, maybe you can find a time machine. That way we can send you back to whatever century you came from. The way you talk just irks me, Berry."

"I honestly don't care what upsets you, Santana. I'm over your bullying and your words no longer affect me." Rachel was now making a beeline straight for the bathroom with an angry Santana on her heels.

Shaking her head, Quinn let out a small "wow" as her eyes began to scan the people walking outside the window. Couple after couple walked by, holding hands, laughing, and acting like there was nothing else more important in the world than each other. For a split second Quinn let her mind wonder over what that must be like; having someone constantly there for you. That was a long stretch for her, and she knew it. That's why she never let her thoughts linger on anything like that for too long. Love didn't exist in this world. Her parents being the prime example.

There was no mistaken the feeling that now took over her. It was the feeling of someone's eyes on her. Turning her head slightly to the right, she noted that Blaine was now sitting in front of her, a huge smile on his face. His girlfriend was more than likely having a smack down in the bathroom, yet he was still smiling.

That's something that didn't go unobserved by Quinn. She didn't know much about the boy sitting across from her, but even a blind person could tell that he always seemed so…cheerful. It was something she had never felt in her life, and she wondered exactly how he stayed that way all the time.

It must have been addicting because she quickly felt the corners of her mouth turn up. "What?"

Blaine shrugged his shoulders, giving off a vibe of indifference. "I just realized that we've never really been introduced."

"We were both at Berry's party." Quinn stated, giving the boy her famous eyebrow raise.

"And tell me, how much of that party do you actually remember?"

"Fair enough."

She watched as he slid his hand across the table, looking at her expectantly. "Hello, I'm Blaine Anderson."

Her hand immediately covered her eyes, as she let out a small laugh. This guy could not be serious, but she figured she'd play along with his little game. The hand that was previously covering her eyes slid into his and she quickly noticed that it was incredibly warm. Probably from him holding onto his coffee cup, but it still felt…comfortable.

"Quinn Fabray. Has anyone ever told you how unbelievably cheesy you are Mr. Anderson?"

"Depends on who you ask." Blaine let his hand linger in hers for a few more seconds before removing it and placing it firmly back around his drink. His eyes sparkled a little as to say it was now her turn to go.

This was one of the more interesting encounters she had had lately. It was weird, but exciting at the same time. Most people from McKinley were terrified to even speak to her—something she had often times enjoyed. It had become almost like a hobby for her to be alone. Blaine didn't seem to have a problem sitting near her, much less talking to her.

Clearing her throat, she tried to think of a decent subject for her to start a conversation with. "So you and Berry, huh?"

Okay so that wasn't her brightest moment, but it was the first thing popped into her mind.

Blaine casually shrugged, and Quinn was relieved that he didn't seem to mind her question, even though she felt it came out of left field. Most people around here didn't like talking about their personal life, despite it being a small town with loads of gossip.

"She's interesting. I'm curious as to how much Kurt has told you?" Blaine responded, taking a drink of his coffee.

Her answer didn't come right away. Mainly because she had no idea how to answer it. Kurt was her best friend, and it wasn't like her to run and tell everything that was shared between them. On the other hand though, she didn't want their little conversation to end just yet. Blaine seemed to take notice of her internal struggle, because a small smile quickly was being given to her.

"Here, if it helps I'll just tell you what I feel like I should to answer your question and in return you can just let me know if you were already aware of the information."

Quinn took a moment to let his words sink in before nodding her head in agreement.

"Well, at Rachel's party I'm pretty sure no one can ever forget out little make out session regardless of how much alcohol was dashed out." Quinn quickly nodded her head once more before allowing him to go on. "We went on a date after that, and I don't know. It was fun. We had plenty of things in common. And that's where we are at now."

She knew all of this. Kurt had spilled his heart out to her in the confines of her bedroom. All about Blaine going on a date with Rachel, how Blaine was going to move to McKinley for Rachel, and the tearful conversation about Kurt believing one hundred percent that Blaine was gay. Not surprisingly, Kurt was the only male allowed in her bedroom, and the two had shared many moments in her little sanctuary of quietness.

"I was aware of all of that. I just…it's hard to wrap my mind around it. When Kurt spoke to me about you, he was under the impression that you were…"

"Completely gay?"

Under any other circumstances, Quinn would have smarted off about not interrupting her, but she figured it was probably better for Blaine to get that information out than her. At least this way it gave her more encouragement to press on. She had never had a good grasp on pushing the limit of privacy and Blaine's sexuality was none of her business.

"Yeah, that."

Blaine ran a nervous hand over the back of his neck, contemplating the right words to say. "I was. I mean…geez that sounds horrible. I didn't mean it like that. That sounded like I think it's just some disease that someone can get rid of. When Kurt came to Dalton, I thought for sure that I was completely gay. I was instantly attracted to him, yet I let other feelings get in the way. Mainly fear. I hid behind this confident shield, but the truth is I was scared. Scared of what people would say about me. I had already been bullied at my other school, and I didn't want that for Kurt. But when Rachel kissed me, I felt something. I'm not even sure what. I still haven't figured it out, but it was there. So we had this big debate about sexuality and what exactly I was. I still don't know." Blaine took in a breath of air as he let his shoulders shrug. "I think I just like people in general. If that even makes sense."

"Why are you telling me all of this?" She bit her lip, realizing exactly how rude that comment probably sounded. A mental note was made to work on her people skills. It was just odd to have him sitting here, telling her his life problems like they had known each other all their lives.

If the comment affected Blaine in any way, he didn't let it show. "Being the new guy isn't exactly easy. I see the way Finn looks at me anytime I go to make a suggestion related to the Glee club's well-being. And don't even get me started on Santana. I'm almost convinced she wants to murder me."

An apologetic smile came his way, making him smile back in return. "Please don't worry about Santana. She's just…got a lot on her plate, I guess. I am sorry about her behavior though. If it helps, she's like that with everyone. I mean one time we even got into a physical fight."

Blaine's eyes widened at the news of this. "Oh, wow. Who won?"

"Depends on who you ask."

"Clever." Blaine stated amusement evident by her use of his previous words.

A comfortable silence fell over them. He took this time to think about her former question. Why exactly was he telling her this? Everything he had said was true. But it was beyond his character to sit down with a stranger and discuss personal matters such as his feelings. "I guess I'm just lonely."

It took Quinn a second to realize what he was referring to, but once she did everything became clearer to her. It was the same thing that had happened to Kurt and her. They were both lonely, in need of someone, anyone, to just listen to what they had to say. Blaine was no different, except he didn't really know anyone besides Kurt and Rachel. She couldn't help but feel a tad bit proud that she was the one he picked to speak to.

"It must be hard, like you said, to be the new guy. I've been through it, except I took some extreme measures to get where I'm at." Her eyes seemed to cast down for a moment. "I hurt a lot of people to get the popularity that I have now. However, no matter how many people I hurt or what it took to get to the top the one thing I'll always understand is loneliness."

He wanted to push the issue and ask exactly what it was she had done. Rachel had told him horror stories about Quinn, and everyone at McKinley knew about her pregnancy. He had never been one to judge though. It wasn't in his nature, so he figured Quinn deserved a shot to redeem herself. Blaine took a moment to study Quinn's face. There was hurt clearly spread across it, a look that pulled at his chest. It was obvious that Quinn had pushed herself too far, revealing the past, and was now currently building her walls back up. That's why he knew it would be best not to push her.

"You don't seem lonely with Sam?" It wasn't exactly a steer into the clear, but it wasn't her past either.

A sigh of relief escaped Quinn. It was refreshing that he wasn't asking about her past. That's something not many people picked up on. Either that or they just didn't care.

"I could say the same thing about Berry and you?"

"Fair enough." It was now Quinn's turn to be amused by his choice of words.

"Honestly, some of the loneliest people are in relationships. It seems like people think just because you are in a relationship that automatically means you are living out some fairytale. I just want to grab them and make them realize that fairytales don't exist in this world."

Blaine opened his mouth to speak, but was quickly stopped by the sound of Rachel's voice. The pair turned around to face the girl who had already made her way back to their table, no Santana in sight. Quinn had been so wrapped up in their little bubble that she had completely forgotten about Rachel and Santana. She couldn't help but wonder exactly what took them so long.

"Blaine, it's time for us to go. My fathers have arrived." She gave him a quick smile despite her rather shaken up demeanor. "We are going shopping. Oh and Quinn, it was lovely to run into you. Santana said to tell you that she is in the car and you have two minutes before she goes Lima Heights on your…bad word."

Quinn gave Rachel a fake smile as she watched her figure turn and walk toward the door. She tolerated the girl, but that didn't mean she enjoyed her company. There was too much baggage there and it would take a lifetime to make up. Standing up, she dumped her trash into the trashcan, and turned to leave. That's when she noticed Blaine was still standing there. A small smirk crossed her face as to ask if there was anything else he needed from her.

Blaine seemed to take the hint, following suit and dumping his trash also. "I just wanted to say that it was nice talking to you." Quinn's eyes scanned his figure as he walked away, realizing that he had yet again stopped. Turning around he gave her a smile that she was already growing familiar with. "Don't give up on your fairytale, Quinn. You just have to wait patiently for Prince Charming to find you."

And like that he was gone, walking hand and hand with Rachel, with Quinn standing there looking at their retreating forms in disbelief.

* * *

The ride home with Santana was miserable. She kept mumbling things in Spanish while banging her head to God awful rock music. Quinn hated it and wanted desperately to change the radio, but being Santana's friend, she knew the only thing that calmed her down while angry was this type of music.

Needless to say, the moment Quinn walked through her front door she was in the bath in less than five minutes. It didn't take her long to get cleaned up, homework completed, and in the bed early for once. Lately, her parents had been keeping her up at night with their drunken arguments. Either with each other or her—it varied depending on how much they had to drink. Luckily tonight she had somehow escaped them. Maybe fate wasn't completely against her.

* * *

Everyone was use to Mr. Shuester's crazy, yet somewhat helpful lessons of the week. So it came to no surprise that they were faced with a new lesson this week. One that involved the word 'family' being written up on his whiteboard. A few people let out groans, knowing exactly where this was going.

Mr. Shuester clapped his hands, a way to signal that the class needed to come to order. All talking stopped, and the man soon went into his explanation. "Okay, so due to the events that happened in here yesterday I feel the need to give you guys a lesson on what it truly means to be a family."

All hell seemed to break loose in that moment. Everyone, with the exception of Quinn, Blaine, and Rachel, seemed to turn on Santana. Yelling that it was her fault, and that she was always out of line. Quinn was positive that she even heard Brittany telling Santana that she should apologize to Rachel for being so mean. Santana just sat in her seat, smirk plastered on her lips. If there was one thing Quinn had learned about Santana over the years it was this. The girl had a need for stirring up things in the Glee club.

Mr. Shuester seemed to ramble on some more, explaining that their assignment was to pair up in twos and sing a song together. The catch being it couldn't be someone they had sung with already.

Great, Sam was out.

She bit her lip nervously, wondering who she could partner up with. She hated assignments like this. They seemed so pointless and honestly never accomplished anything.

A note suddenly appeared on her desk, almost like magic, and she scanned her area trying to figure out exactly who put it there. No one was looking her way, figures. Reluctantly, she unfolded the paper, and a wide grin covered her face.

_Dearest Quinn Fabray, _

_Would you do me the honors of being my duet partner?_

_Yes _

_No_

_Go Away_

_Please circle one of the choices._

_Sincerely,_

_The Always Dashing Blaine Anderson_

Her pen lingered over the 'go away' option, but she flipped the page over and began to write on the back.

**Cheesy, Mr. Anderson. Extremely cheesy. **

The note was slid into his already stretched out hand. It took him a minute to realize that she had written on the back. Within a few seconds, he had the note lying back on her desk.

_I'll take that as a yes! _

**Maybe.**

_That's better than a no._

Before Quinn could write back, chairs were being filed out of. Apparently, she had missed Mr. Shue excusing them. She scanned the room for Kurt or Santana, but the two had already disappeared. The only sight she caught was one Blaine Anderson, standing at the door, giving her the same smile she had seen yesterday. And just like yesterday he followed Rachel out the door, leaving her there in wonder.

Quinn had no idea what was happening to her. One minute she was sitting in Glee contemplating how hard her life was, and now she had a note tucked between her fingers; a note that seemed like the start of a new friendship.

It was confirmed. Fate was for sure on her side.

* * *

A/N: So there's chapter one. All spelling/grammatical errors are mine. I promise that the next chapters will be much heavier on the Quaine. I just needed to get the Pezberry out because it plays a role in the later chapters. Feedback is always appreciated! But your enjoyment means more.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I still own nothing, Glee or the song used in this.

A/N: I apologize for the wait. I've been having terrible internet problems/laptop difficulties. Anyway, thanks so much for the reviews, alerts, and all of that. They mean so much to me! Hope you enjoy!

Quinn stood at her locker, excepting to see Kurt run up to her at any second and announce whatever news he had to tell her. She had received word from him ten minutes prior via text that he had something to tell her. This wasn't something new to her of course. Kurt would always rush in every morning and blab about the latest Broadway gossip or go on and on about a new outfit he had purchased. Half the time Quinn didn't know what he was speaking about, but she nodded her head and played along.

However, as Kurt stood in front of her revealing his latest endeavor, Quinn had no idea what was going on. "So let me get this straight…you did something to Santana that's going to piss her off royally, yet you are happy about it?"

Kurt jumped up and down excitedly for a few seconds before latching onto Quinn's hand. "Yes! Well, I'm happy now because she doesn't know it was me. I'm more than likely going to have to have you protect me once she finds out. But that's beside the point."

"Okay." Quinn drawled out, "Mind telling me what it is you've done?"

"I can't. You'll just have to wait and see. Come on, Rachel is in homeroom with us so the action should go down in there." Kurt stated, grabbing Quinn and dragging her to the classroom before she could even put up a fight. Her face turned into a grimace however, when she realized that whatever was about to take place involved Rachel. Anything that involved Rachel and Santana never went over well.

The pair sat in silence, Quinn focusing on the ticking hand of the clock and Kurt on the door. It didn't take long for the show to beginning, as Quinn let her eyes roam over the entrance while Santana and Rachel made their appearance. Santana flew in like the hallway was on fire, with a very eager looking Rachel on her heels.

"What the crap, Berry? You've been following me since I walked into school, saying my name over and over again. I heard you the first time, but as you can see you are the last person I want to talk to. I know I'm hot and stuff, but stalking is not a hobby that will get you into college." Santana said, propping her feet up on the table as she took her seat.

Rachel clung to Santana's desk, uttering the words that made Quinn's stomach turn. "I just thought we could discuss a proper time to meet after school to get started on our project. I got your note that you left in my locker asking if we could team up and I gladly accept. It's kind of funny that no one has asked me yet, but I'm more than happy to work with you. I believe we should get started immediately and I'll have a detailed list for you tomorrow of song choices that matches both our vocal abilities."

Santana laughed at the same time Quinn laid her head down on the desk. The thought of repeatedly banging it crossed her mind. Death by desk had to be better than the wrath Santana was about to unleash.

"Can it, midget. You must think your real clever coming up with a lie to get me to be your partner. I didn't put a note in your locker. Besides Hummel and I are already partnered up."

Kurt cleared his throat. "Um Santana, I didn't know we were being serious when we discussed that. I've already agreed to be Sam's partner since we never did get to sing when he first moved here. Plus, I don't think you have a choice in the matter. Everyone is already partnered up beside you and Rachel."

Quinn wanted to pipe in with the fact that she never said yes to Blaine, but decided that getting involved was too dangerous.

"The hell, Kurt? How can you just throw me under the bus like that? We clearly agreed that we would sing together."

Kurt shrugged his shoulders and added an apologetic smile for emphasis.

"Great, well I look forward to working with you Santana. I'll text you with all the details." Rachel paused, before pulling out a note from her bag. "Also, I didn't lie. This really was in my locker. I mean it had to be from you. It has your name on it and it starts off by saying 'hey bitch'. Who else could that be?" Rachel whispered the word bitch and even in a stressed out situation, Quinn found amusement in Rachel's innocence. Santana would have her hands full if she really thought she could handle a girl like Rachel.

Santana was already reading the note by the time Rachel made it back to her desk at the front of the classroom. It took all of ten seconds for her to spin around, fire in her eyes. "This is your handwriting! I'll burn every single one of your overly priced designer shirts, including your stupid Marc Jacobs collection."

And that's how Quinn spent the rest of her day; diffusing the situation with Kurt and Santana. On one hand she chastised Kurt for getting involved in affairs that was none of his business. On the other hand, she couldn't stop showing her admiration for the clever way he went all Twelfth Night on their other friend.

Her mind was in the clouds when Blaine showed up, scaring her as she slammed her locker. The boy had been hidden beyond it, and the sight of anyone popping out of nowhere was enough to send someone into shock. Once she had calmed down, she slapped his arm harder than necessary.

"Anderson, you can't just sneak up on people like that. You scared the hell out of me."

His smile faltered for a spilt second as he rubbed the spot on his arm. "I'm sorry, Quinn. I just wanted to come and ask if you wanted to come to my house after school."

This threw Quinn completely off, and an eyebrow raise was quickly shot toward him.

"For the project? I figured we could get started right away."

Realization hit Quinn, and she blew out the breath she didn't even know she was holding in. She hated what she was about to do. Blaine was a nice guy, and he had done nothing but treat her with respect. Yet, she had a reputation to uphold and hanging out with the new kid would only damper all that she had worked so hard on. Plus it didn't help that he was Rachel's boyfriend. Sure, Rachel had gained some street cred for dating the head quarterback and gaining the attention of boys like Puck. But to most people at McKinley she was still classified as a loser.

"Blaine, I'm really sorry but I can't. I-I just you know."

Blaine shook his head, the smile falling completely off his face. "No, I don't think I know. I don't really understand."

Running a nervous hand behind her head, she thought about the easiest way to break it to him. "It's just I've lost everything after the pregnancy. I'm just now gaining my respect at this school back and singing a song with you…well it could potentially hurt all the hard work I've put into climbing my way back to the top."

A look that Quinn had never seen Blaine wear took over, and she was unsure if it was anger, hurt, or a mix of both. Without saying another word, Blaine turned around and began to walk away from her.

"Blaine…" She reached out, grabbing his arm and stopping him in his place. Blaine turned around and gently slung her hand off of him.

"No, okay? I get it. You don't think I hear what people refer to me as. I'm lucky if I even get a new kid being said instead of my name. It's mostly Rachel Berry's Gay Boyfriend, or Loser, or something equally harsh. I don't need you to spell it out for me. I thought we shared something in that coffee shop. For one second I thought I would actually have a friend in this school, but I was wrong. You are just like everyone else."

Quinn watched him walk away, hating herself more and more with each step he took. Why couldn't she just let him in? She had done it with Kurt and Santana. Kurt had been just as unpopular as Blaine when she allowed him into their little circle. Yet, she couldn't do the same for Blaine. Being a hypocrite really was a bitch. She grabbed her cheer bag, slinging it over her shoulder and made her way out of the school and toward the football field. All she knew was she was late and any punishment Coach Sylvester threw her way couldn't measure up how horrible she was feeling in that moment.

The first place Blaine escaped to after his run in with Quinn was the boy's locker room. His first day of gym had opened up a world of wonders to him—or at least made his move to McKinley feel a little less torturous. Discovery of the old punching bag had been one of the best and most relaxing things that could have happened to him.

It came as a shock to most, but Blaine loved all things to do with boxing. He even loved football, just not the actual participating part. Most guys didn't exactly consider him to be athletic, something that greatly got under his skin. Just because he could sing and dance didn't mean he couldn't hold his own.

Punch after punch landed as he poured every single frustration out onto the bag. Finn's obvious jealously, the ups and downs of his relationship with Rachel, Kurt's avoidance, and the newest edition to the list, Quinn Fabray. It shouldn't bother him so much. He barely knew her, and it was ridiculous how powerless he felt the moment she blew him off. Yet, he couldn't seem to get his mind off of her. Their conversation in the coffee shop had been continuously playing in his mind in an almost haunting manner.

Blaine couldn't remember one time that he had actually seen Quinn truly smile. Of course that didn't mean it was impossible for that to have occurred. After all, Blaine was a grade below her which meant they didn't share any classes, but from what he had observed in Glee rehearsals she always seemed so broken.

That's the fuel behind his drive. She seemed happy when conversing with him, like the mask she always wore was finally taken off. He needed to see that side of her, to get to know her, and to overall help her. It was a natural thing for him to want to fix everyone around him, and Quinn was no exception. A new plan would need to be set in order to accomplish his goal; he just didn't know what that plan would consist of yet.

The locker room door swung open, and all Blaine could do was grimace at the sight of Noah Puckerman. No, Puck hadn't directed any hatred or smart comments Blaine's way yet, but he was Finn's best friend. It was only a matter of time before the torment started.

"Whoa, slow down there bro. You are gonna knock the damn thing down if you keep going at that speed."

Blaine ignored him, but slowed down his pace. One eye focused on the bag, the other on Puck. He wouldn't put it passed the other boy to jump him right then and there. Dealing with bullies all his life had made him paranoid of everyone. That's the main reason he taught himself to fight in the first place.

Puck wiped his forehead with a towel as he sat down on the nearest bench to Blaine. "So, what the hell has got you so worked up?"

Ceasing all movement, Blaine scowled at Puck before sitting beside him. "What's it to you? Finn send you here to get the latest dirt on me. I just don't understand what the hell is with this school. People treat me like crap and I've never said one word to them."

Puck let out a small laugh as he watched Blaine throw the gloves onto the floor. "Let's get one thing straight Anderson. Nobody tells me what to do, especially Finn. I just got laid last night and felt like being nice. Judging by the way you were pounding that bag I figured that something was up. You say no one has been friendly with you but when I try you act like this." Puck stood up, shaking his head in disbelief. "But it's cool, man. I got more important shit to attend to."

Guilt took over Blaine, and he grabbed Puck's arm, stopping him in his tracks. "You're right. I'm sorry for snapping at you. It's just…it's just been a long day. I'm frustrated, I guess." He knew Puck was the last guy at this school he should trust, but he seemed to be sincere in what he was saying. Dropping his hand from Puck's arm, he smiled when he felt Puck sit back down next to him.

"Rachel still keeping her shit locked up tight, huh? I feel for you. Been there and tried to do that, didn't succeed. First girl to turn me down for sex. Apparently it's like a big deal to her, but I at least thought she would have given it up to someone by now."

Blaine's hands went up in a defensive manner. "I would greatly appreciate it if you'd not talk about my girlfriend in that way. Besides I wasn't taking about Rachel and I's sex life…or lack of one. I just don't understand why Finn hates me so bad. Or why Qui—"he started, but quickly stopped. Everyone knew of their past history, and even though they both have seemed to move on, Blaine was uncertain if he should bring up her name in front of him.

Puck's hand immediately wrapped around Blaine's shoulders. "Listen bro, it's nothing personal against you. All new kids get ragged on. I mean even Sam did when he first moved here. As for Finn, I wouldn't sweat that. He figured that once he broke up with Quinn he could get Rachel back like that. He never planned for you to come in and take her, along with his spot in the Glee club."

"I never meant to take any of those things from him. It just happened."

"Yeah, well that's just how he is. I mean he punched me for getting Q knocked up. Can you believe that?"

Blaine laughed, "No offense but I would have punched you too."

Shrugging his shoulders, Puck laughed along with Blaine. "Well, you win some and you lose some I guess. Now if you will excuse me, I got a pretty blonde to get to. Oh and don't ever be afraid to say Quinn's name in front of me. We may have had our time in the past, but I'm pretty happy with Britt now."

Blaine nodded his head slowly, completely forgetting that Rachel had informed him that Puck and Brittany had started dating over the summer. Apparently, Brittany and Santana had a falling out and Brittany found comfort in Puck. Blaine wasn't exactly sure of the details.

"Also bro," Puck's voice brought Blaine's attention back to him, "if you ever need someone to hang out with just hit me up. Brittany too, cause she seems to have a soft spot for everyone. But we can play video games or something. No way in hell am I going to see a ballet or some shit with you like that."

"Video games it is then." Blaine smiled as he placed his fist out in front of him, which Puck gladly fist pumped back. "There is however something you can do for me."

"What is that?"

"Give me Quinn Fabray's address."

The kitchen table that Quinn currently occupied was covered with various items, from her chemistry book to her English notes. She had always prided herself about being a top notch student, but ever since her father's arrival back into her household she had let her school work slip. It had been a living anxiety attack, with her constantly walking on eggshells around him. No one ever knew when or what would set him off, and now she was constantly struggling with being the person she wanted to be and the person he thought she should be.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, her mind began to wonder off of Edgar Allan Poe and onto the very dapper boy she had turned down today. It was eating her alive how much pain he seemed to be in after the whole ordeal. She couldn't blame him though. All her life, she had been an outcast; walking the halls of school alone and eating lunch in the bathroom. Until she changed everything about her and took on a new identity. Yet, through all her heartbreak she treated people the same way she use to get treated. Becoming your worst enemy was the most miserable thing she had to deal with.

At that moment, the doorbell rang and her thoughts seemed to drift from the boy to her rumbling stomach. Lucky for her, her parents were out on what they deemed 'date night' and left her plenty of money to order in. After much deliberation over rather to order Chinese or pizza, she had decided on the latter and she nearly flung the door off its hinges as she put on a smile for the pizza man. The smile quickly faltered as she realized her assumption was wrong.

"You better have an extra-large pizza with extra cheese and bacon on the side Blaine Anderson, or so help me I will call the police."

Blaine raised his eyebrow, before shaking his head no. "I came here in hopes that I could get you to reconsider my earlier offer. I know you think that I'm not as equal to you or whatever, but how is that fair? You haven't even given me a chance."

The angry façade began to slip before Quinn recovered. "No, I don't care what you've came here to say. We are not duet partners today, or tomorrow, or ever. No amount of words could ever make me change my mind." She began to close the door, but Blaine's foot stopped her. She watched him reach for a guitar that was laid up against the banisters. How could she not have noticed that? Realization hit her of what he was about to do, and she couldn't stop the quiet "oh my god" from coming out.

"You have got to be kid—"Her sentence was interrupted as the music from Blaine's guitar hit her ears. The tune was unknown to her, but the act itself had her rendered in place.

Clearing his throat, Blaine strummed the guitar a few more times before jumping right into the first verse.

"_There you are, with your perfect way. You've got that little shine in your eyes. To hear one word would make my day, but there's no room for me in your life. Woo you've got me down on my knees," _Blaine was now literally down on his knees. Quinn seemed to still be frozen in shock, her mind completely unaware of her surroundings as she watched every word fall out of his mouth.

"_Woo oh and in my mind I can see how perfect everything can be, but you won't give us a try. But if I could change your mind, how would you want me. Would you say you need me? Cause I need you now." _

"_I try to move on but your perfect way has got this little child asking why. But this world keeps spinning as my, as my heart stops beating. Is there still no room inside? Oh you've got me down on my knees. Woo oh and in my mind I can see how perfect everything can be, but you won't give us a try. But if I could change your mind, how would you want me. Would you say you need me? Cause I need you now. If I could change your mind." _

The slam of car doors drew Quinn's eyes away from Blaine and onto her neighbor's yard. Her eyes lit up with horror as she watched them exit their car and stand, all eyes on her and Blaine. She hated him. She hated him for coming to her house, playing stupid music with his stupid perfect hands and his stupid perfect voice. The thing she hated the most though was how for a few minutes he had made her completely oblivious to the outside world. As the neighbors watched on, Quinn slammed her hand down on the guitar making Blaine stop. He once again cleared his throat as he stood up to face her.

"Inside, now!"

Blaine expected her to be angry, but this went beyond that. She was practically outraged, and he knew better than to ignore her request. Once the duo had made it inside, and the door had been slammed rather loudly, Blaine had no time to even gather his surroundings before he felt Quinn's hand wrap around the collar of his polo. It took two seconds for her to drag him to her, mere inches from each other's faces.

"What the hell do you think you were doing pulling a stunt like that? What am I supposed to do when the neighbors tell my parents that a boy with a guitar was serenading me on our front pouch?" She spat out at him.

Blaine merely shrugged his shoulders, "You could just tell them that the pizza boy was in dire need of a really big tip."

A small smile took over Quinn, and it didn't take long for that smile to become an explosion of giggles. Letting go of his collar, she buried her head in his chest as the laughter from both of them seemed to fill the whole house. Blaine slowly wrapped his arms around Quinn's back, considering he had no idea what to do with them. The pair stayed that way for a minute before they both realized the awkwardness of their position. That, and the fact that Blaine's cologne mixed with what smelled like aftershave, was doing wonders to Quinn's mind. She had to get away from that mixture before it clouded her judgment.

She was the first to pull away, but Blaine was the first one to break the silence, "But I mean really, Quinn? Extra cheese with bacon on the side? And you are embarrassed of me? I mean I'm the one who is trying to partner up with the bacon queen."

"Hey, insult me all you want but stay away from my bacon. It's kind of my thing."

Blaine rolled his eyes playfully at their antics. It felt nice, but more important Quinn felt nice against him. He couldn't explain it but hearing her laugh like that was real. It was real because it was exactly what he hoped to bring out of her, no matter if he did go to extreme measures to do it. This brought him to his next phase in his plan, which was to get her to actually say yes to him. Taking a step back, he dropped back down on his knee and grabbed her hand.

It took Quinn a moment to catch onto what he was doing, but once she did her mouth dropped slightly. "Please, for the love of God don't sing to me again."

"Quinn Fabray, will you do me the honors of being my duet partner?"

The nerve of this guy was really wearing Quinn down. She knew after everything he had already done that there was no way her conscience would allow her to say no any longer. That didn't mean she didn't want to watch him work for it though. "And if I say no?"

"You know, I have a lot to offer you as a partner. I will show up to all our practice dates, I'll make the best song suggestions I can which won't include show tunes, I'll let you make the final selection, and I'll even bring you a BLT to school every day for lunch."

"And?"

Blaine grinned up at her before shaking his head, "And I promise to never sing another song outside your house ever again."

Quinn played with her bottom lip for a moment, while she pulled Blaine up toward her. "You've got yourself a partner, Mr. Anderson. But if you break even one of these rules I am out. Let's get started shall we?" She brushed passed him and made her way up the stairs only stopping to yell back at him, "Oh and I enjoy mayonnaise on my BLTs."

All Blaine could do was follow her to her room, shaking his head in disbelief the whole way up. He had no clue where this girl came from, but she was slowly turning his whole world upside down.

An hour later found them sprawled out on Quinn's bed, a half-eaten pizza in front of them, and their eyes scrolling through Quinn's iPod. Blaine had picked over a dozen songs he claimed were family friendly, but Quinn wasn't having any of that. She was aware of their agreement, and she enjoyed the fact that he was allowing her final selection. However, it wasn't enough for her. For her to make it through this, she needed total control over the whole ordeal. Ever since transferring to McKinley she had been in control. Control over the hallways, her friends, and her boyfriends. Blaine was the first guy to ever make her feel like she was losing control just by a simple glance or a word uttered out of his mouth. And frankly it frightened her down to the core because she had no idea what it meant.

"Oh stop! Katy Perry. We should totally do one of her numbers," Blaine exclaimed, clapping his hands excitedly.

"No. I know you already sang a love song to me, but I don't really think you singing about how I'm your missing puzzle piece or the threesome we had on a random Friday night is really the right choice."

He frowned, but quickly was back to his cheerful self and pushed on her shoulder playfully. "I wasn't singing it as a love song. I was singing it in hopes that you would accept my offer of friendship."

"Right. Well it was a poorly chosen song because it was clearly a love song."

"Maybe on the surface it is, but I don't think it was a poor choice. In fact, I think it was perfect."

Quinn threw down her iPod, already exhausted from their hour of song searching. She lay back on her bed, staring up at the ceiling she questioned exactly what he meant by that, "How so?"

"Well," he moved to lie beside her, "the name of it is Change Your Mind. It served its purpose because it changed your mind."

"Can I ask you something?" She stated, leaning up on her elbow and facing him.

"You can ask me anything, Quinn."

She debated for a minute if she really should ask him this question. It was a simple question, sure, but what if he took offense to it? She didn't know enough about him to know what would bother him or not, yet she pushed back her fear and just went for it, "Why are you so cheerful all the time? Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad thing and it's kind of infectious," she smiled, "but it's not humanly possible for someone to be that happy."

Discomfort crossed his face, and it seemed like his mind was a million miles away, as his eyes left her and focused on the bed. Quinn regretted asking, and should have listened to her first instinct. She didn't see the big deal of the question, and mostly meant it as a joke, but something deep down told her that his happy attitude was all for show, much like one she put on every day.

The silence was killing her, and before Blaine could register what was going on Quinn was up out of the bed and making her way toward the bookshelf that held her DVD collection. "How about a movie, huh?"

"I'm always happy because at school is the only time I truly can be happy, despite all the problems I have there. It-it's just my parents, you know? I really don't get along with them for several reasons, and I always feel like a burden. So I try to get all my good moments out before having to return there. It's stupid I kn—"

"No it's not. I get it." Quinn waved her hand in dismissal, still kicking herself for binging up something that made him uncomfortable.

"How about that movie?" Blaine stated, drawing her attention back to the DVDS.

Another hour down the road, and Quinn was wishing she hadn't picked out Saw. Sure, when Blaine said that he'd never watched a scary movie in her life she thought it would be fun to watch him experience one for the first time. But now her arm and hand really hated her, as the boy clutched on to her for dear life.

"You are such a baby, Anderson."

"And you are insane, Fabray." He removed his hand from her arm and placed it gently back in her hand. He had been alternating the whole time between the two spots. "Anyone who gets pleasure out of other people's pain is out of their mind. I much prefer a happier ending. Oh like The Wizard of Oz. Now that's a classic!"

Quinn laughed at his comment, but couldn't help but to let the first part get to her. It summed her up in an instant. Of course she didn't find joy in watching people get tortured, but she was the queen of tearing people down.

Blaine watched her intently recognizing the sadness on her face. He had seen it enough lately to know what was happening. He just wished he could know what exactly was going on in that head of hers.

"Can I ask you a question, Quinn?"

"Huh?" She said shaking her thoughts away, "Oh, yeah sure."

"What's up with the pink hair dye?" He asked, nodding toward her dresser. Her eyes averted from him to the pink bottle before landing back on him.

"Same thing as you said. My parents…mostly my dad are the reason for my façade. I was going to dye my hair pink this summer, in hopes that someone would notice me, but my dad went psycho when he seen the bottle. So instead I resorted back to the bitchy head cheerleader. I leave it on the desk still just to get to him though."

That was the last thing Blaine expected to come out of her mouth, but it was starting to make sense to him. "That's why you always look so sad. You can't be yourself. I'm really sorry."

"Look, I said you could ask me anything, and I answered. But I don't really feel like talking about this." The iciness was back in her voice, and she suddenly cut off the movie. "You have to leave soon anyway. My parents will kill me if they know we were here alone."

Blaine felt defeated, but followed her request yet again. He wanted to protest; do anything to make her open up to him. But every time he got close, she pulled away and he knew he'd never get anywhere if he demanded things from her. They were making progress and that's all he could ask for.

"Thank you for allowing me into your house. Oh and the pizza, even if you gave me a heart attack with the movie, and we didn't get anything done on the project." Blaine said, giving her a sincere smile.

Her features softened at his words. "You are welcome. We will set up another time. Thanks for changing my mind." She added emphasis to the last three words.

His face lite up and he quickly wrapped her in a hug. He felt Quinn's hands wrapped around him, and like earlier that day the two stayed that way for a minute or so before breaking apart. "Oh and one more thing." He said, grabbing a marker off the desk behind him.

He quickly grabbed her hand, before she could protest, and wrote down a word on her hand.

Yet again, Quinn was in shock at his boldness. No guy before him had ever dared to do something like that to her. It annoyed her, yet enlightened her at the same time. Looking down at the words, she registered what it said while raising a questioning eyebrow at him.

"Believe? What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means," he started, dropping her hand and moving closer, "that I have no idea what your parents do that make you so scared to be true to yourself. Or why you have to hide who you are, but I do know that you don't give yourself enough credit. No matter the mistakes you made in your past, you have to believe in yourself, because trust me when I say that I believe in you." His words were barely above a whisper and they ghosted over her ear, making her develop chill bumps.

"Um…thank you, Blaine." God, that was the lamest response ever but her brain wasn't exactly functioning properly at the moment.

"Have dinner with me? Well, not just me but Rachel and me. Breadstix this weekend?"

Quinn let his previous words leave her as she tried to concentrate on what he was saying now. Something about dinner with him? Rachel? The weekend? She put the pieces together and shook her head. "I don't think that's such a good idea, but thanks for the offer."

"Oh come, on." He encouraged. "You can even invite Sam. I make an even better double date partner than I do a duet partner." He grinned, in hopes of charming his way into getting her to agree.

Quinn watched his features for a moment before nodding her head. She was a sucker for his smile, and it's not like a night out with him and her boyfriend wouldn't do her good, even if she had to put up with Rachel. "Fine, fine. Just don't break out into song in the restaurant."

After the two had said their goodbyes, Quinn automatically called Santana. She knew she'd tease her about giving into Blaine, but she had bigger things to deal with at the moment. As the phone rang and rang, Quinn hung up deciding that texting her would be her better option.

**Way to answer your phone, San. **

_The hell you need? I'm in the middle of Skins. _

**Great. Ignore me for junk television. I need a favor. **

_And what do you have to offer me?_

**Rachel Berry.**

_Cut the crap. I'm so sick of the Berry jokes. The troll does nothing for me down there. _

**Oh really? Is that why when you were supposed to be in love with Brittany, you spent all your time bashing out Finn? And then as soon as you realized Finn and Rachel wasn't getting back together you turned your hatred toward Blaine. **

_Yeah Q, good luck getting that to stand up in court. What do you really want from me?_

**`I need you and Kurt to come on a date with me to Breadstix. I promised Blaine that Sam and I would go there with Rachel and him. I need my best friends there to help me not kill Sam or Rachel. **

Quinn bit her lip as she sent that last text. She knew the excuse was poor, but she couldn't just openly say 'please come with me because being around Blaine makes me nervous and I need my best friends to make sure I don't turn out to be an idiot'. She just hoped it would be sufficient enough to get passed Santana.

_Wait…so you and Warbler are now getting it on? Did he not see the 'You must be this tall to ride' sign?_

**Be nice. And we are not "getting it on". He's really sweet once you get to know him. I just felt bad saying no to him. **

_Whatever. This night should be fun. The openly open gay and the closeted lesbian tagging along with Berry 1 & 2 and Ken and Barbie. Makes sense. _

**So that's a yes?**

_When do I ever say no to Breadstix?_

**Thanks, San!**

_Goodbye. _

Quinn rolled her eyes at Santana's rudeness, but couldn't stop the relief that swept over her. At least now she'd have her best friends there as a clutch to make it through another night with Blaine. As she lay in bed, her eyes caught sight of the word on her hand. Grabbing her phone, she knew there was one last thing she needed to get across to Santana.

**You are my best friend and I love you. No matter what, I'm always here to support you. I know you are not ready to come out yet but once you do Kurt and I will be by your side always. You just have to believe in yourself.**

She didn't receive a reply—she figured that much, but it didn't matter one way or the other. Blaine had changed her life with one simple word, and now it was her turn to do the same for the rest of the world.

A/N: Song used was Chang Your Mind by Boyce Avenue and also any spelling/grammar mistakes are mine.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Again thanks for the support on this story! It keeps me fueled to keep going. Anyway, here is yet another chapter for you guys. Also, I'd like to apologize about the lack of page breaks in the last chapter. I put them in there but something must have gone wrong, so sorry if it was a tad confusing to read without the barriers.

* * *

The members of New Directions were all used to Mr. Shuester being mad at them. Often times it was because of arguments that broke out during practice, or the fact that half the time they all goofed around during rehearsals instead of actually trying. They were all guilty of these actions. However, as he sat in his famous rolling chain, Quinn only blamed Santana for setting the man off.

At the beginning of the day, they had a mandatory Glee club meeting, minus Shuester, about the excuses they would give for not having their songs prepared yet. Sam and Kurt seemed to be the only ones who were on top of their game, which is why Quinn figured Sam had ignored her texts all week. It annoyed her, but it was a relief to know he had been spending time with a guy rather than some other girl. Regardless, the club had decided that they would all just pretend they had other arrangements and ask nicely for an extension.

That was the plan up until Santana ruined it for them. She had rudely informed Mr. Shuester that the only reason they were unprepared was because one, his lessons were stupid and two; she refused to spend more than five minutes in such an ungrateful brat's house. Also, there was something about Rachel should be thankful she had shown up in the first place. Quinn wasn't sure, due to the fact she had tuned out halfway through the whole thing. Dealing with Santana was exhausting her, and half the time she just wanted to tell Rachel herself that Santana was crazy for her. Sure, it was obvious that Rachel was in love with Blaine but at least then Santana could stop pretending. That was a death sentence all in its own though.

As Mr. Shuester went on, Quinn let her eyes fall on Blaine who was currently sitting sideways in his chair smiling at her. If it had been anyone else, she would have found the staring thing to be creepy—but nothing about Blaine screamed creepy. His smile was perfect, his face was perfect, his hair was perfect, and even his bowtie dazzled with perfection. Though it had only been two days since he came over, she had already learned that he was a perfect gentleman added on top of everything else.

The two spent yesterday's lunch together sharing embarrassing stories from the past and splitting the BLT sandwich Blaine had made for her. Quinn was still hesitant about allowing people to see her with Blaine, but he was too nice to her to let him go just yet. And besides, he had kept his promise about the bacon sandwich even though she had been partially joking.

Quinn continued to let her eyes travel from Mr. Shue to Blaine and back again for a few minutes before Blaine finally made a move. Sticking his tongue out at her, Quinn couldn't control the small laugh that was loud enough to have everyone's attention directed toward her before she could even cover it up with a awkward cough. Mr. Shuester seemed to narrow in on her, which caught her off guard. Otherwise she would have had a comeback for whatever he was about to say.

"Quinn, something funny you want to share with the rest of us? I mean first you guys completely ignore my assignment and now you are disrupting what I feel is a very important pep talk by laughing."

A million excuses ran through her head. Finally deciding on the best one, she opened her mouth but was quickly cut off by the sound of Blaine's voice.

"It was my fault, Mr. Shue. I texted a joke to her that I read on a Laffy Taffy candy the other day, and well that's the reason behind her laughter. I apologize. I know it's rude of me to be texting during your lesson. It won't happen again." Quinn had no idea why he was coming to her rescue, but she nodded her head, agreeing to his story. Mr. Shuester would criticize someone like her more than someone as talented as Blaine.

She was right. The teacher looked defeated and began to clap his hands, his signature move, but yet another voice interrupted the entire choir room. This time it belonged to one Rachel Berry.

"You are texting her? Why? And better yet, why was there even an exchange of numbers in the first place?" Rachel spat out, and Quinn couldn't blame her. The two had fought over Finn like he was the greatest prize one could claim. Half the time, she had no idea what she was thinking when it came to Finn Hudson. He mostly certainly was not a prize. Due to this, she could understand where Rachel was coming from. If she had any fear that Quinn was 'after' her man, then there would be trouble in paradise—no matter how ridiculous that idea was. Blaine didn't deserve to be lashed out at because of his chivalry.

Quinn cleared her throat and mustered up the sweetest, fake voice she could. "Rachel, sweetie," she started, turning toward Rachel, "Blaine was only trying to cheer me up. I had a rough night with my parents last night and he was being a good friend. Also, we only exchanged numbers so we could text each other times and places to meet in order to get our song done. I can assure you that nothing is going on."

Santana began to laugh loudly beside Quinn, and she had to elbow the other girl to be quiet. Santana shut up at the same time Rachel seemed to accept Quinn's answer, considering she simply nodded her head in response.

"Okay…" Mr. Shue drew out; breaking the tension that now clouded the room. "Let's get out of here. I think you guys have had enough for one day. Also, forget about the project. You guys don't seem that much concerned about it. Let's get through Sectionals and then it will be due. Got it? And I better not have any complaints because Sectionals is like a month away. That's plenty of time to get your act together. Have a good weekend and good luck guys at the game tonight."

* * *

It didn't take long for Blaine to spot Quinn exactly ten minutes after their dismissal. The Cheerios uniform was hard to miss, never mind the fact that she was standing at her locker. Blaine took a moment to take her in. She was amazingly stunning; everything a guy would look for in a girl. Rachel had gone on and on about how beautiful she was, but he thought it was jealously due to the Finn issue. But he was dead wrong because she really was as gorgeous as Rachel carried on about. Yet, there was so much more to her. So much more Blaine hadn't figured out.

Clearing his mind of those thoughts, he walked toward her, and placed one arm against the locker next to hers. "You look amazing, Quinn. I mean red really is your color."

Quinn appeared mad at the world when she slammed her locker shut. Once again Blaine's grin fell, and he couldn't stop the internal turmoil that was telling him to run away right now to avoid having another showdown with her in the hallway. That was until her scowl turned into a smile.

"I totally got you, didn't I? Geez, Anderson you thought I was going to yell? Shows how much credit you give me." Quinn laughed, poking him softly in the chest.

Blaine couldn't help but to laugh with her as he shook his head. "Considering last time we were standing at this locker…I wasn't sure what was going to happen."

"What's with the compliments anyway? Are you trying to get something out of me, Warbler?" Quinn joked. "Thank you for saving me back there. It was nice of you."

Shrugging his shoulders, Blaine leaned back completely against the lockers. "I just wanted to make sure we are still on for our double date tonight after the game. Also how do you know I was trying to save you? Maybe I just really want your number and needed a deal breaker."

"Yes we are still on. If that's the case you can hang it up, because I saved you also. What makes you think you deserve my number after I returned the favor?"

Blaine thought about her words for a minute, before slipping his hand in his bag and pulling out a sheet of paper. "Fine then, Miss Fabray. Tied game, so I will lend you my number in hopes that you will even the score even more." He scribbled the digits down on the paper and handed it to her.

Quinn bit her lip, staring down at the sheet of paper. What was the harm of giving him her number? They were technically friends now, and friends text each other. "Fine, Anderson." She quickly followed suit and as she handed him the paper Sam choice that moment to interrupt their exchange.

"What's up guys?" He said, slinging his arm around Quinn. The smile on both their faces fell a little, which didn't go unnoticed by Sam. "What did I do?"

Blaine shook his head, replacing the smile back onto his face. "Nothing at all. I was just leaving. I'll see you two after the game." He patted Quinn awkwardly on the arm and turned to leave.

Once Blaine had walked away, Sam moved Quinn gently up against the lockers before kissing her. Quinn reacted for a split second, but realization soon set in and she pushed him off of her. Her eyes followed Blaine's retreating figured.

"Not here, okay. Not in front of people."

A confused look took over Sam, and he couldn't help but to get defensive. "Why? We kiss in front of people all the time. What's gotten into you lately? Is it because I kind of pigged out a few days ago? I tried to resist but I was over at Kurt's and his step-mom's food is the best. I couldn't say no. I promise I'll still have my abs."

Was he being serious? The last of her worries were his abs. Pushing past him, she let out a aggravated sigh. "Listen up, no one really cares about your abs. Sure, they are flawless. I'll admit that, but I have bigger problems than your so called piggy out. In fact, maybe I'm not the one with the problem? You have been spending an awful amount of time with Kurt. Wouldn't want those rumors from when you first moved to come back, do you?"

Sam's mouth opened and closed several times, but he eventually caught on to what she was suggesting. "I'm not gay. I'm dating you. Kurt is my friend just like he's yours. You told me that Blaine was over at your house the other day. Should I inform Rachel that you two are now cozy with each other? I saw you two exchanging numbers. I'm not stupid you know."

She hated when they did this. It always happened with them. Except usually there was a reason that she lashed out at him. He just frustrated her more than anyone. Their relationship was built on lies, and sometimes she hated herself for not being able to break up with him. For once she felt like she deserved a guy that treated her like she was the most important thing in his life.

"You really suck when it comes to understanding women. Maybe for once I just want you to ask me how my day is going. Or here's an idea—be romantic! But pushing me up against the locker in the middle of the hallway for everyone to see is not romantic. It's showing off and I'm not a prized possession."

Sam threw his hands up in aggravation. "I've tried being romantic. Every time I get close to you, you shut me out. It's so hard to know what's going on in your head. And you want to talk about showing off? I know what Santana meant the other day about being a prop. Again I'm not stupid."

The truth of his statement hit Quinn hard and all she wanted to do was go hide. She did it to everyone; Kurt, Santana, Sam, and currently Blaine.

"I just want something for once to be real in my life. Puck wanted me for sex, Finn wanted me to make Rachel jealous, and you want me because I'm the head cheerleader again. I know the drill. My relationships are a never ending cycle, so of course I'm going to shut you out. Everything that happens between us is for show, and everyone including us knows that."

"Are you breaking up with me?"

Quinn shook her head. "No, I'm not. Look I can't do this right now. I have to go. Just show up tonight, and we will pretend to be the textbook couple. Laughing, holding hands, all while trying to show up Blaine and Rachel. That's what our relationship consists of. Real romantic."

With these words, she was gone faster than Sam could register, leaving him there looking dumbfounded.

* * *

The football game came and went—McKinley pulling out yet another victory. This didn't surprise Quinn one bit. Ever since Coach Beiste took over the team was practically unstoppable. She wasn't in the best mood, at least not after the fight she had with Sam, but Coach Sylvester would have murdered her if she had slacked off. Therefore she had plastered on her fake smile, cheered extremely loud, and pretended to care. The highlight of her night was Blaine. The boy had showed up with a sign sporting the words 'Go Quinn' on it. She would never understand his antics. He seemed to support her in every aspect, even though they barely knew each other. It was almost like he could look inside her soul and realize that she needed her own support group to make it through the day.

As she left the field, a smile spread across her face when she noticed Blaine leaned up against her car. When he noticed her he straightened up his appearance, giving her a sheepish smile.

"You did a great job out there."

Quinn tilted her head to the side, closing in the distance between them. "I know. Is there a reason you are using my car as a resting spot?"

He shrugged his shoulders while leaning back up against it. "It's comfy. Plus I was hoping you could give me a ride. My mom dropped me off."

"Right. And she couldn't come pick you up? Why do I feel like I was set up?"

A shocked sigh came out of Blaine's mouth and he placed his hand over his heart. "I'm innocent. I would never set you up. I guess she doesn't want to give up her Lifetime movie. You know how important those are to middle aged women. I was hoping that you'd give me a lift out of the kindness of your heart. We are going to the same place, after all."

Quinn pushed his shoulder while rolling her eyes at him. "You are going to pay me gas money?"

"But…" he frowned, "I brought you a sing."

"A sign doesn't pay for gas, now does it? Get in the car, Warbler. And make sure to buckle up. No one rides with me without following the rules of the road." She moved around to the driver's side and opened the door. "Oh, and if you are a backseat driver don't even bother. I will push you out."

The car ride was silent and a tad bit uncomfortable for the both of them. Quinn kept her concentration on the road, while Blaine hummed softly to the music. Every once in a while she could feel his eyes upon her. It made her involuntarily blush, making her happy that it was night time and vision was limited.

Deciding that the five minutes of silence had been enough, Quinn broke the ice. "So how come you couldn't ride with Berry?"

Blaine's humming stopped as he responded. "Well, she couldn't make it to the game. Her fathers wanted her to stay in and spend quality family time with them. That's the only way she could come out with us afterwards."

There wasn't a lot that Quinn knew about Rachel, but everyone knew how important family was to the girl. That's something that Quinn secretly admired about her. No matter what she had to put up with at school, she'd never have a safe place to come home to. Even when it was just her and her mother she never fully felt right. She supposed it was due to the disliking of what her mother did to her during the pregnancy. The Christian thing to do would be to forgive her, but sometimes it was hard for Quinn to let go of the past. Things with her father were much worse though. At least when it was just the two of them she could have Kurt over with no questions asked. Now, the two were forced to stay in the living room because her father didn't want to face the fact that he was gay.

"Where'd you go just now?" Blaine's voice pulled her out of her musing.

"Oh, nowhere really. I was just thinking about how nice it would be if my parents actually kept me from coming out in order to spend time with me. Rachel's lucky to have that." She cut her eyes over to him. "Don't ever tell her I said that though."

Leaning his head against the window, Blaine let her words sink in. He knew exactly how she felt. Things at home seemed to be getting worse and worse, and it came to a relief that someone else in the world seemed to understand his situation.

"I'm the same way, you know? My parents…I think they don't care much for me. I try so hard to please them, but it's always Cooper this and Cooper that. I get so angry at them sometimes. Like I could honestly just pack my bags and leave. But at the same time all I want, all I've ever wanted is their approval. I'm not some big Hollywood actor and I don't want to be that guy. I just want to be me and have them love me for me. Not the guy they want me to be."

His words came as a shock to Quinn. She knew he mentioned having problems at home, but she never fathomed that they would mimic her very own. It was too deep of a conversation for her at the moment. She wanted to just let her walls down and tell him that he knew exactly how she felt. However, she couldn't push herself to it just yet. Her heart was telling her to let him in, but her head was screaming no. Sadly this time her head won out.

Not knowing what else she could say, Quinn let her eyes focus fully back on the road as she pulled the car up to a stop light. To avoid any awkwardness at her nonresponse, she let her eyes linger to the left. That's when she spotted the lite up sign, and a smile quickly formed on her face.

"Your movie is playing." She said softly, looking over at him.

His head lifted from the window and his eyes sparkled with curiosity. "What do you mean?"

She nodded her head in the direction of the sign and his eyes immediately followed the movement. After a few seconds he let out a small chuckle.

"Well, what do you know? They are playing The Wizard of Oz at the park tonight. How romantic. A classic movie, a breathtaking park, and the stars all in one place."

The way Blaine's voice sounded as he talked about this occurrence made her shiver. No guy would ever think of that as being romantic. At least not the guy's she knew. Sam would complain that it wasn't Star Wars, Finn probably didn't even know what The Wizard of Oz was, and Puck would just use it as an excuse to hook up. Yet Blaine talked about it like it was some kind of magical event.

"You really are into all that romantic stuff, Anderson?" She let out with a playful tone, desperately trying to regain her composure.

Nodding his head, Blaine shrugged his shoulders before laying his head against the window once more. "What's not to like about it? They read us fairytales when we were younger. The beautiful princess finding her prince charming and the two living happily ever after. Then we grow up, and society just expects us to forget all of that. Everyone begins to believe that no one ends up happy, but I refuse to believe that. Life is all about decisions, and it's up to us to write our own fairytale ending. Some decisions lead us to that and others lead us astray. I've never felt what that's like, but my ending hasn't been written yet. I believe I have plenty of time to find true love, so until then I have to believe that romance still exist out in the world."

Quinn drove on in silence, having no idea how to follow that. It all seemed like make believe. People in her life never ended up happy. Like she had told him before, this was the real world and things like that weren't real to this world. But he seemed completely sure of it, and Quinn couldn't find it in her heart to argue with him on the subject. If he wanted to keep chasing after fairytales, then that was his business.

"It shouldn't be much longer before we arrive. I wonder if Sam and Rach—" The sound of Blaine's voice scared her, and she almost jumped in surprise at his interruption.

"Turn the car around." He said, sitting up in the seat eagerly, causing Quinn to question his sanity.

"Why on Earth would I do that? The restaurant is this way and why did you jump up like that? You scared me once again. I'm really getting tired of that."

Waving his hand in dismissal, he urged on. "Just turn around. Let's go see the movie. The sign said it's only playing tonight and I really don't want to miss out on it."

She knew this conversation would be too much to deal with while driving, so she pulled the car over. Blaine had to be insane. That was the only reasonable conclusion she could come up with at the moment.

"No, we have plans. We can't just leave Rachel and Sam there. Also Santana and Kurt would murder me if I stood them up along with it."

"What do Santana and Kurt have to do with anything?"

"I kind of forced them to come along tonight."

"Why?" Blaine questioned, completely clueless as to why they would have to be forced into coming.

Letting out a small sigh, Quinn decided to just go ahead and be honest with him. "Because I'm not used to you. I'm not use to the way you treat me. Showing up at my house unexpectedly, not taking no when I said we couldn't be friends, supporting me at a game that people could care less about. It's just new, okay? I've never had anyone who seemed to find such interest in me. It made me nervous, and my friends are like the only thing that can calm me down in certain situations."

Blaine bit his lip as he considered her words. "Quinn Fabray nervous? Now that's a side I never thought I'd see before."

She rolled her eyes. "There are many sides to me that you haven't ever seen before."

"Well, I hope there is a spontaneous side to you because we are seeing that movie, and for the second time I refuse to take no as an answer."

* * *

It only took one hour into the movie before Quinn was kicking herself for agreeing to his idea. Not only had Santana blown up her phone, all with text messages of all the different forms of torture she was going to use on her, but from the sound of Blaine's voice on the phone—Rachel wasn't that happy either. She caught him rolling his eyes out of the corner of her eye, and she gave him a sideways smile. The smile was returned, which once again amazed her. His cheerfulness even when being yelled at was addicting. It was one of the reasons she loved being around him. He made her feel like all her problems would one day be solved just by smiling.

She was just thankful they had found a secluded place underneath a tree. Otherwise they would have already been asked to the leave. They were stationed far away from the other people that they could talk, but close enough that the screen was still visible.

Quinn watched as Blaine hung up the phone, a look of indifference on his face. "I take it she's about as happy as Santana is? Honestly, how could you forget to call her and let her know we couldn't make it?"

"Slipped my mind I guess. I take it you didn't call Sam. Otherwise Rachel would have known, and wouldn't have freaked out so bad that she threatened to call the police to come and search for us. According to her, it took Santana ten minutes to calm her down."

The thought of calling Sam had never crossed her mind, and she felt guilty about this. She had just been so wrapped up in Blaine Anderson's world that she had completely forgotten about Sam.

"No, I forgot also. Oh well, they will forgive us."

"True." Blaine stated, leaning back on the grass and spreading his legs out in front of him. He watched as Quinn followed his previous movement, laying her head down on the grass next to his.

"You better be glad I like you. I wouldn't get grass stains on my hair for just anyone."

At her words, Blaine sat up slightly and pulled her up with him. He laid his arm across the grass were her head previously was. "There you go. No grass stains necessary."

Quinn carefully eyed his arm, internally debating if this was okay. It wasn't a good idea to be lying on the arm of your former enemy's boyfriend's arm, but since the Lucy situation her looks had been her first priority, and grass really was a pain to get out.

Giving in, she placed her head on his arm, noting how warm his body felt next to her. The smell of his cologne was yet again visible to her nose, and she unconsciously inhaled all that made up Blaine Anderson.

"What you said about your parents…I know what it's like. My sister is the golden child in the family. Literally, it's like she can do no wrong—the perfect angel. Me on the other hand, well apparently a teenage pregnancy is like conjuring up Satan via Ouija board. They act like I'm some kind of rebellious, out of control hooligan and I'm fed up with it. I want to scream at them, my dad mostly, but I'm so terrified that he'll kick me out once again. I can't go through that. So I pretend to be the perfect cheerleader, but I'm the farthest thing from that. My life has been one big, typhoon of mistakes."

Finishing up her extremely long confession, Quinn took in a few deep breathes as she turned her head towards Blaine. She silently observed the face that he held specifically for thinking. There was no explanation for how she knew Blaine had many different faces for the emotions he felt. Maybe she had been watching him more closely than she intended over their short time together.

After a few moments of silence, Blaine finally gathered up his thoughts. He had no clue that she had a sister, but had already been informed by Rachel that she was kicked out during her pregnancy. "I'm so sorry, Quinn. I can't begin to imagine what that must have been like for you. Well, the sibling part yeah I get, but getting kicked out must have been horrible for you."

"It was and the fact that they can't comprehend why I'm not sorry that it happened. Do I wish I had waited to lose my virginity to someone other than Puck in a drunken state? Who wouldn't, but I don't regret having Beth. She's amazingly perfect, even if I don't see her."

Blaine ran his hand through Quinn's hair in a form to comfort her, and watched as she seemed to give into his touch by closing her eyes. The movie was long forgotten, but Blaine couldn't complain. She finally had opened up to him, not much but it was still more than he had ever gotten from her.

As his fingers ran through her hair, Quinn let her eyes drop in a sleepy manner. She wasn't all that tired but he seemed to have the magic touch when it came to calming her down. Talking about her parents, Beth, and Puck always had an effect on her. Yet here was Blaine, supporting her like he did in every other concept of her life. It was the sweetest thing anyone had done for her, even if it was something as small as a touch.

"I can't feel my arm." Blaine laughed, hoping that it would lighten the mood some. Thankfully it made Quinn let out a small chuckle.

"Is that a nice way to say my head is fat?" Quinn countered.

Placing his finger on his chin, Blaine lifted his head mimicking a pose that was usually shown as someone thinking. "Um, no I don't think so. I don't believe my comment was a proper way to call you a fathead."

Quinn rolled her eyes, letting out a content sigh as she rose off of his arm. Immediately she missed his touch, the feel of his body, and the comfort it supplied her. It was a rash decision, one she would question herself on later, but she laid her head on his chest, snuggling up next to him.

As soon as this occurred, Blaine's body sniffed up before he ultimately let himself give in to her being so near him. It was warm, pleasant, and the perfect way to spend the night. There was guilt that he had stood up his girlfriend to spend time with the blonde, but he buried it deep down inside. Analyzing his reasons right now would only ruin the moment. Plus Quinn was in a state where she needed him. He vowed to himself that he'd comfort and support her until she let him inside to all her pain, so no going back now.

"I know we just met, technically, but I'm here for you Quinn. I'm here to support you, to show you that you are more than you give yourself credit for, and most of all I'm here to always be the type of friend you need in your life." The words left his mouth before he realized, but they sounded right.

"Do Rachel and you do things like this often? I can just imagine how much romance is shared between two people like you." Quinn said, playfulness laced on her voice. She intentionally avoided responding to his previous statement. It was too much at this point to think that someone cared for her, but it was much appreciated.

This was the last thing Blaine expected. Even so, the answer was easy for him to say. "No, we don't. We've never done anything like this if I'm being honest with you. It's weird, but we mostly just sit around watching musicals. It can be quite exhausting."

"And here I took you to be a musical kind of guy."

"Oh trust me, I am. I just can't deal with watching them over and over again. Then we spend time with her family. Which don't get me wrong, her family is amazing but she barely even touches me. It's almost like she's not interested. Like I'm not saying that I want sex like every other teenager, but it's almost like we are an old married couple or worse—brother and sister."

Quinn's eyebrows rose when he spoke the last part. This news was very interesting, considering Rachel acted like they were soul mates in front of people. Of course that could all be for show just like her relationship. It blew her mind though that Rachel would fake a good relationship; unless she was hiding something.

"Are you sure you are not just a horny teenage boy, Mr. Anderson?" Quinn challenged, looking at him while resting her chin onto of his chest. Their faces were in touching distance, but Quinn hastily pushed that idea out of her head.

Blaine shook his head. "No, I'm not. I'm different because I do want romance, but sometimes people want spontaneity. Sometimes people just want you to kiss them for no reason, or open your door and furiously make out with them up against the wall." Blaine stopped speaking in order to laugh at himself. "I just mean, sometimes things get in a routine and boring. It's always nice to do random things."

"No I get it. Trust me when I say that I understand. Sam and I are the same way. He only kisses me when people are around, half the time I don't think he's interested like you said, and to be honest he spends more time with Kurt than me." Quinn patted Blaine's chest, staring into his eyes. "So we are in the same boat there, Anderson."

A silence fell over them, both wrapped up in their own mind. Quinn let all thoughts of Sam go. She didn't even know why she cared when she truly didn't want to date him. He was a good guy, just not the right one for her. She'd always care for him, but she couldn't love him like he deserved to be loved.

The two spent the next few minutes just staring into each other's eyes, trying to read the other one's minds. Something inside of Quinn snapped and she snaked her hand around Blaine's neck, playing with the ends of his hair.

Blaine's throat became dry as he felt Quinn's breathing ghost over his lips as she moved closer. She was closer to him than he had ever been before and he had no clue what to do. He knew he should push her off, tell her to stop, anything but he wanted it to happen, needed it.

Maybe it was the movie, the gestures he made with her, or the word he had spoken. Quinn was unsure exactly, but all she wanted was to be as close to him as possible. That's why in a matter of seconds her lips were pressed up against his. It didn't take him long to respond to the kiss, pushing and working his lips up against hers.

Quinn poured everything into the kiss. All her frustrations she had pent up over school, Sam, and her parents were long gone as he wrapped her arms gently behind Blaine's neck and pulled up closer to him. The thought of what they were doing didn't even hit her. She was too captivity by the fireworks and all that other cheesy stuff people talk about.

There were several warning signs going off inside Blaine's head, but mostly he couldn't see past the feel of Quinn's lips, body, and warmth that surrounded him. However, the signs went off even louder and he gently pulled away as he pushed Quinn a tad.

"I'm so sorry." They both whispered, before coming once again silent. Neither one of them knew why the other was apologizing. Quinn blamed herself for kissing him, and Blaine blamed himself for not stopping it right away.

The silence became too much for Quinn and she knew she had to say something, anything to make their situation look better. "I think I was just wrapped up in everything that was going on. The movie that we obviously came here not to watch, the stars, the moon, the nature, the feel of it all. I kind of forgot about who I was with and lost my mind. Again, I'm sorry." The bitchy attitude wasn't fully there but Quinn put on a good show. She had faked feeling things with boy's all her life, so faking that she felt nothing was just as easy.

Blaine was hurt at her words, but overall he knew it was a good sign. There were other people they needed to think about. Other people that would be hurt by this and it were much bigger than a pity crush he had developed on Quinn.

"I get it. I mean I was wrapped up too. But don't feel bad about it. I wouldn't have kissed you back if I didn't want it. I mean…we just can't though. Rachel and Sam don't deserve to be cheated on, no matter how much we may complain about our relationships."

A small smile crossed her face at the mention that he wanted to kiss her, but it was covered up before he could notice. "You're right. I've been a cheater all my life and I refuse to ever be that again. It was all the talk about Sam and my parents. I guess I just needed to feel something for once." With that she gave a shrug of her shoulders, pretending that it was nothing to her. "I think it's time I get home though."

* * *

It didn't take them long to arrive at Blaine's house. The house hadn't been far from where the park was, and Blaine's directions had been spot on. Quinn's mind was long gone. She couldn't even take the time to admire the beauty of his house. An awkward goodbye was said between the two, and Blaine even gave her a quick hug. Almost like a reminder that he wouldn't let anything change between them. It was exactly what she needed.

When she got back to the house, she laid her head against her door and closed her eyes. There was no way she'd allow herself to go through this. The pain and torture of liking a guy she could never have was too harsh of a punishment, even for her. Blaine and Rachel would stay together, she'd pretend to love Sam and everything would go on as it normally did in her life. She was no Cinderella, and fairytales didn't belong to her. There was no use in divulging in a fantasy world.

* * *

A/N: Okay so yeah, don't hate me for that. It's a long process but it will be worth it. I like character and relationship development in a story before I just make them be together. Anyway, all spelling/grammar mistakes are mine and I hope you enjoyed!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nothing mentioned in this story is mine; the characters and Glee belong to their rightful owner. Along with the song used.

A/N: Seriously guys the feedback is amazing! Your support honestly makes my day and helps me on the right track with this story. I really appreciate it. Sorry for the wait. I've been sick and haven't been able to get on the computer. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Blaine's head had been spinning with confusion since the kiss. There was no excuse for what he had done, and if Rachel ever found out—well that's something he refused to think about.

"Dude, I'm kicking your ass." Puck's voice broke through Blaine's thoughts. He looked over at Puck as he laid the controller down.

The two had agreed to a one on one match on the Xbox. Blaine agreed quickly, figuring out that it would be the best way to get his mind of things, while Puck agreed because he knew he could kick Blaine's butt at it. The boys made an unlikely pair, but Blaine had been enjoying his time with Puck.

"Right, I'm sorry. My mind just isn't on the game right now." Not only was that true, but his skills at video games were greatly lacking. He enjoyed most things that guys did, however video games wasn't on that list.

Puck momentarily paused the game and lounged back on the couch next to Blaine. Thoughts ran ramped throughout Blaine's mind. He knew that Puck would more than likely ask him what was going on. It had been exactly three weeks since the kiss, and he had only spoken to Quinn maybe once or twice. It's not like he wanted things to change between them. However, it was extremely difficult for him to admit that technically he was a cheater. Facing Quinn would only bring out guilty feelings along with conflicting emotions he felt for the girl.

The real question was should he tell Puck? The two had become closer over the last few weeks, and Blaine was proud to call him a buddy. Puck's rudeness, disregard for women and ignorant mannerism got under Blaine's skin, but for the most part the boys got along well. That didn't mean he was ready to release his interpersonal issues. Yet again, what was the harm? He had never had a real best friend to share thing with.

Right on cue Puck asked the question he had been preparing for. "So, what's up with you Anderson?"

"I-I…just well, it's not really a big—"

"Let me guess, Q right?"

Was he that obvious? Surely Puck of all people didn't pick up on the fact that Quinn was the subject gnawing on him. He loved hanging with the guy, but when it came to smarts Puck wasn't the one a person would go to for Math homework. Then again maybe he just had really good people skills.

"How did you know?" Blaine questioned.

Puck threw his hands up as if it was the most evident thing in the world. "Dude, you two was glued to each other's hip, laughing in the hallway, eating lunch together, making googly eyes, then suddenly it's like you two don't even know each other. I might not know much but I know when two people dig each other."

The hand that still latched onto the controller suddenly became attached to Blaine's head, running over the thick hair gel in a soothing manner. Apparently it had been noticeable, which meant Rachel had probably picked up on something. She was quite skilled at reading Blaine's emotions.

"We kissed. It was brief, but it still happened. I felt something strong, and now I have no clue what to do. I can't cheat on Rachel. That would break her heart, but I can't get Quinn out of my mind. She's addicting."

The confession came to no surprise to Puck. He had experience the Quinn effect. She had her own weird way of drawing people in. Like Blaine said, it was addicting.

"I get it, man. I've been down that road and did that. She is an amazing girl once you get passed the whole bitchy exterior. Just most people don't bother getting to know her. I, myself, was one of those people before when I just used her for sex. I basically sucked big time, but like I said I get it."

"I just—"Blaine started but was interjected by the doorbell.

Puck once again threw his hands up, but this time mimicking a victory gesture. "Pizza time! It's a good thing too cause' not only am I starving but all this girl talk is getting to me man. No offense and shit but kinda don't feel like growing a vagina today."

Blaine stared at Puck in wonder as he watched him retrieve the pizza. It always amazed him how much Puck could go from being a decent guy to being so crude.

A few slices later, and a couple of beers for Puck (which Blaine kindly declined), and the two of them found themselves once again on the subject of Quinn.

"Look dude, all I'm saying is you should talk to her. I mean I know Q, better than most people, and she isn't gonna come to you. She's not like that. If you want her, you need to tell her. Let her know that just cause' you got your mack on doesn't mean you want her out of your life. You two are just being idiots by not talking to each other, and it's not gonna solve shit."

Nodding his head in understanding, Blaine knew that Puck was right. Nothing would work out between them if they kept on going without speaking. Frankly, Blaine was tired of it and missed having her around. She was the one thing that could brighten up his day no matter what.

He pulled his phone from his pocket and within seconds had a text message to Quinn wrote out. The send button was hit right after he made sure that it was a decent enough text.

"Done." He stated, sliding the phone back inside his pocket.

A relieved look was sent his way from Puck as he grabbed the controller.

"Good cause' it's time for me to blow your head off a few more rounds."

"Hey now! I've actually gotten pretty good at this game."

The pair sat in silence, continuing to eat pizza and playing until Puck said the most logical thing he had said all day.

"Women, man. Can't live with them and sure the hell can't live without them."

Blaine nodded his head. "Yeah."

* * *

Santana, Kurt, and Quinn all sat piled into Kurt's bedroom—Kurt and Quinn studying while Santana played with her nails; a bored expression on her face.

"I just don't get Mr. Shue. I mean does he even really know how to speak Spanish? This study material is ridiculous and honestly giving me the headache." Quinn said, rubbing her temples.

Rolling her eyes, Santana sat up on the edge of the bed. "Of course he doesn't. The idiot majored in horrible fashion and how to ruin Santana's life."

"Ah, so she speaks. You know, Santana, as the only Spanish speaking member of this group you sure have been quiet. Here's an idea, help us out!" Kurt glared, rolling onto his stomach from his position on the floor.

Quinn followed suit and threw the papers to the ground as Santana snapped at Kurt.

"Shut it, okay? I don't feel like helping either one of you assholes out. I'm still majorly pissed at that little stunt you pulled."

"That was weeks ago, San. Get over it, unless this anger is your way of expressing your built up sexual frustration for Berry."

Kurt giggled at Quinn's words, which automatically made her laugh along with him. The two couldn't help but to poke fun at Santana. She spent years breaking everyone down. It was only fair that she got her turn.

A silence fell over the room, making the atmosphere around them awkward. Quinn looked at Kurt, then to Santana, waiting for her to freak out on them, but it never happened. That was odd, considering she had done nothing but deny her feelings for Rachel.

"I think it's time I went and got us a few snacks." Kurt whispered, pushing himself off the ground. The last thing he wanted was to be sandwich in a room with two of his best friends refusing to speak. He had no clue what was going on, but if Santana was silent it usually meant trouble.

Once Kurt was gone, Quinn waited a minute before addressing Santana.

"What gives? Why are you not yelling, exclaiming how much you hate Rachel?"

Santana crossed her arms in a defensive matter, but was quickly deflated. "Because I don't hate her, alright? I care about her, a lot actually. I hate myself for liking her, but I can't get her out of my mind. There, satisfied? You finally got the big, bad Santana to admit her feelings for Rachel Freaking Berry."

This shocked Quinn. She never once believed that Santana would speak the words she just did. It was weird to hear it actually come from her mouth, even though everyone knew it was true. Well, everyone besides Rachel.

"Um, I don't really know what to say. What are you going to do about it?" The look on Santana's face formed into pure hatred, and it made Quinn nervous to be in the same room with her.

"What the hell do you mean? There is shit I can do about it. First off, she's with Warbler. Second off, I refuse to be the lesbian in this town and I refuse to bring Rachel down with me. Third off, I don't do feelings."

If this was anyone else, Quinn would probably tell them how stupid they were being. But she knew firsthand what it was like to want something you couldn't have. "I get it."

"No you don't get it. Quinn do you know how hard it is for me to see her with him? I have to watch them every fucking day."

"I get it. Trust me when I say I get it." Quinn leaned back in her chair, praying that Santana wouldn't question her about that.

Her prayer went unanswered.

"What is that supposed to mean? You know something you aren't telling me, don't you? Spill it."

The situation always got turned around on her. She had no clue how, but Santana had a way of getting out of everything, even though she had initiated the conversation.

"I kissed Blaine." Quinn had no idea why she was telling her, but it slipped from her mouth before she could think.

The awkward silence from before was back until once again Santana snapped.

"Are you out of your freaking mind? How could you do that to Rachel? What, Finn wasn't enough for you? Now you have to go after him. All the time I spent hating him, and you do this to me. The hell is wrong with you, Quinn?" Santana was pacing the floor, and Quinn wished she was anywhere but here.

"It's not like I meant for it to happen. We were wrapped up in the moment and I kissed him. If you must know, the two of us haven't spoken since then. I never meant it as a way to hurt Rachel like I did with Finn. Blaine's different, and you hating him is stupid. He's gentle, and kind, and charming. You only hate him because of Rachel. You don't even know him."

Santana calmed down for a moment. "You like him don't you?"

Laying her head down in her hands, Quinn had no answer for her. Did she like him? Everything had been confusing for her since their kiss. She wanted desperately to talk to him, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Mostly out of embarrassment.

"I'll take that as a yes."

The door flung open, Kurt emerging with a bowl of popcorn and sodas in his hands. "I heard yelling. What is going on?"

"Nothing, Hummel. Just some girl talk." Santana scowled at Quinn, daring her to tell what she told her. But Quinn knew better. If she uttered a word about Rachel, Santana would spill about Blaine. Kurt would take more offense to the Blaine part than he would Santana finally spilling out her feelings.

"Uh, hello, gay guy in the room! I'm all for some girl talk."

The sound of a text message chimed from Quinn's phone and a grin spread across her face when she read the name.

_Only you can stop yourself from being the girl you want to be. Be the change you want. I will always believe in you._

"I got to go." Quinn said, suddenly. Kurt and Santana's attention was now on her.

"What about studying? I don't think I can pass without your help."

"I have to go. I have more important things to do than Spanish. You have Santana."

"Like kissing—"

Quinn turned around from her position at the door. "You say one more word and I'll tell everyone at McKinley what you just told me."

"What would that be?" Kurt chirped in.

"I have to go."

With that she was gone.

* * *

Lucky for her, the walk from Kurt's house to Rachel's wasn't very long. Santana had brought her to Kurt's, causing her to have to take the hard way to the girl's house. Thank God for cheerleading, otherwise she would have already been out of breath.

After what felt like forever, she finally made it to the edge of the driveway. The house was vaguely familiar, seeing as she had been there once or twice. However, the last time she was there was in a drunken state. Everything from that night was a blur to her.

Knocking on the door, she came face to face with a man—whom she assumed was one of Rachel's dads. She couldn't for the life of her believe she was about to do what she was about to do. But Blaine's text message hit her hard. He was right. No matter what her parents did, change started with her.

"Hello, Mr. Berry. I'm here to see Rachel."

"And may I ask who you are?" The man was intimating, but Quinn held her ground.

"Quinn Fabray." His eyes narrowed when she said her name. Figures, seeing as Rachel probably told them about her over the top bullying. "I can assure you I come in peace. In fact, if I had a white flag I'd be waving it right about now."

Mr. Berry closed the door in her face.

"Great." She mumbled before turning around and making her way down the stairs.

The sound of the door stopped her in her tracks, and Rachel's voice could faintly be heard.

"Quinn? What are you doing here?"

The moment of truth. She knew it was a shot in the dark that Rachel would actually hear her out, but she had to take it. If not for herself, then for Blaine.

"I just wanted to apologize. I'm so sorry for the things that I did to you starting sophomore year. I'm sorry that I had you slushied, that I stole Finn away from you, that I said all those harsh things to you. You of all people didn't deserve it. You always stood up for me no matter what, and all I did was treat you like crap." Quinn took in a deep breath, feeling both relieved and afraid. It was nice to get these things off her chest, but at the same time it sucked. She had been raised to never let her true emotions show. This was unfamiliar territory for her.

Rachel's face was exactly how she imagined it would be. She watched the other girl open and close her mouth before she finally seemed to come to the words she wanted to say.

"Quinn, I fully accept your apology." Rachel flung her arms around Quinn's neck, and she had to grab the railing to keep from toppling over. This was unexpected, but nice. The feel of someone actually accepting her for herself was a change. Knowing that Rachel could let go of all their past mistakes. "I knew you'd accept my offer of friendship eventually."

And there she went, saying something completely annoying. However, this time Quinn kept the smile on her face. If she was going to do this, she had to do it right. If that meant finally letting Rachel inside then so be it.

That's when guilt struck. She had just apologized to Rachel, but couldn't even apologize for the biggest attack she had made on the girl—kissing her boyfriend. It wouldn't be right for Quinn to tell her. If anyone should do that, it should be Blaine. That didn't stop her from feeling completely lowdown. Rachel was caring for everyone, even with her selfish ways. She didn't deserve another Finn fiasco to happen.

"I have to go. I have another person in my life that I need to say sorry to. I'm just glad we could come to an agreement."

"Quinn," Rachel started, pulling away from the girl, "I forgave you a long time ago."

Shaking her head, Quinn never could understand how Rachel did that. The girl couldn't hold a grudge for nothing. She constantly forgave everyone, even when they didn't deserve it. That's another trait Quinn secretly admired.

She nodded a goodbye to Rachel before walking away.

The change had just started.

* * *

Standing outside of Puck's house, Quinn knocked loudly on the door, hoping he was actually home. It was a Saturday after all, and Puck was notorious for partying early on the weekends. A smile formed on her face as she watched the mohawked boy open and close the door behind him.

"Q, good to see you. I'm in a relationship now so I'm not sure we can have another hook up like the last time you showed up at my house. Though, maybe a quickie in the backseat of my truck wouldn't be so bad." He joked, giving her a suggestive eyebrow raise.

"Shut up, Puckerman." Quinn laughed, pushing him lightly on the shoulder. "I came here to apologize."

"Apologize? For what?"

This being nice thing was a lot harder than other people made it look. It was exhausting, and frankly frightening to put herself out on the line like this. But the thought of Blaine's face when she told him would be worth it all.

"I was a major bitch to you during the whole pregnancy thing. I just wanted to say sorry. You didn't deserve half of it. I mean…sure you were kind of a douchebag, but that didn't mean I should have treated you the way I did. I just wanted you to know that."

Puck didn't respond. Instead he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a warm embrace. This was the side of Quinn he loved, the side that he knew Blaine was drawn to.

"Does this mean you forgive me?" Quinn chuckled, pulling away from him.

"Of course I do, Q. Wait here though. I think I know someone who would be excited to see you." Puck disappeared back through the door, leaving Quinn in puzzlement. Who on earth could be at his house who wanted to see her? It couldn't be his mom. She hated Quinn ever since the bacon incident.

Right on cue, Blaine emerged from the door, a wide grin on his face. "Puck told me what you did. You know the whole apology thing. I'm proud of you."

A shy smile overcame Quinn as she ducked her head at Blaine's words. "You've been avoiding me." Quinn pointed out, finally looking up at him.

"I could say the same for you."

This struck a nerve. She knew she had done the same but he had saved her every time she was feeling down. In a way he had done the same thing today. He was always there to catch her, so it was only fair to give him some credit for breaking the annoying dispute they had going on.

"Let me walk you home, Quinn." Blaine nodded.

Yes was the automatic answer from her, but her head was telling her no. The last place she wanted Blaine to be was at her house when her parents were home. Blaine grabbed his things from Puck's house and the pair set out down the road in a comfortable stillness.

After what felt like ages, Quinn finally spoke. "I apologized to Berry—I mean Rachel."

Blaine's face became nervous as he mumbled, "About what?" His reaction made Quinn laugh slightly.

"Not what you are thinking, Anderson. I have no right to tell her that. I just said sorry for all the awful things I did to her back in sophomore year."

"What brought that on?"

"Let's just say I received a very inspirational text earlier today."

Blaine continued to walk for a moment, staring at her. "You're staring again. If I didn't know you, I'd think you were a creep."

"You're beautiful." Blaine countered.

Blushing was the worst thing to Quinn, but around Blaine she never could manage it. He said things that no other guy said to her. Turning up to the sky, she noted that it was getting dark. Well passed dinner time. She just prayed her parents wouldn't notice.

"Since when are you and Puck friends?" Quinn changed the subject, not knowing how to reply to his compliment.

"Since he gave me your address."

"That snake." Quinn laughed.

"Anyway, my parents are out of town so I was spending the day with him. He wanted me to stay over since they won't be home until tomorrow, but I'm quite attached to my bed."

Quinn pushed him playfully. "You are such a dork."

Blaine watched closely as Quinn began to shiver. He had noticed a change in the air while walking. It was becoming increasingly colder. Within seconds his jacket was off and wrapped around Quinn, which she happily pulled around her shoulders.

"How do you manage to stay so perfect?"

"I don't know what you are talking about, Quinn. I'm far from perfect."

"Could have fooled me. I mean you just keep doing things, even small things like that. It's just different from any other guy."

"I guess I am different."

_That's for sure. _Quinn thought to herself. She wouldn't allow those words to come out though. Enough words had already been spoken on that subject.

After ten minutes of small talk and banter, Quinn slowed down her pace outside her house. "This is me." She said, sliding the jacket over to him.

"Keep it." Blaine smiled, giving her a tight hug. They were used to giving each other hugs, but he needed to feel her against him, even just a touch as small as a hug.

The front door slammed and Quinn buried her head in Blaine's chest, knowing exactly what was about to come.

"Quinn Lucy Fabray! Where have you been?" Her dad yelled, stumbling forward in the yard.

Blaine watched the spectacle that was Russell Fabray. He had heard horror stories about Quinn's parents, but never once laid eyes on them. There was no reason for this man to judge Quinn, considering he was standing in the middle of his yard drunk. His eyes scanned over her dad, sizing him up. He wasn't a big guy, but at the same time he was scary. That was half of the reason Quinn was in pain all the time.

As her dad approached them, Quinn pushed Blaine behind her.

"I was studying, dad. I'm sorry, but I lost track of time."

Her father thought over her words before his eyes landed on Blaine. "Who the hell is this? Another one of your punk boyfriends? You knock up my daughter too?"

Blaine launched forward, but Quinn's touch stopped him in his tracks. Her grip on his bicep calmed him down. "Don't" She whispered. "It will just make it worse."

She was right. Attacking her dad, no matter how much his words angered him, would be unacceptable. That didn't mean he couldn't stand up for her. "Don't talk to her that way. She doesn't deserve it. You obviously don't have a clue about who she is or what she wants out of life. You'd do best to just go back inside the house."

Before Blaine knew what was happening Russell's hand was wrapped around his t-shirt in a death grip. "Who the fuck do you think you are, boy? I'll tear you to shreds if you every say something like that to me again. I'll talk to my kid anyway I want." He pushed Blaine a little, releasing his grasp.

"Just go home, Blaine. Please." Quinn pleaded.

"I'll be in the house. You have one minute Quinn. Don't make me set the timer." With that her father walked back into the house. She shook her head at his retreating form before turning back to Blaine.

"I am so sorry." Tears were threatening to spill over, but she pushed them aside. She couldn't break down—not in front of Blaine at least.

"Forget about that. I'm not fazed by that man."

Quinn turned her back toward him and began to walk away before his hand was placed inside hers. She stopped her pace but didn't dare turn back in the direction of him.

"You don't have to stay here tonight. You can come home with me. I'll take care of you, Quinn."

Her breath hitched in her throat as his words hit her ears. He always knew the right thing to say and she wanted so desperately to go with him far, far away. "I can't." She knew things would only get worse if she took him up on his offer. Her father would hurt Blaine and she couldn't allow that to happen.

* * *

Driving miles and miles in circles, Quinn ended up at the only place she felt safe. It was late and he'd probably be asleep, but she needed him. She needed him to wrap his arms around her and whisper that everything would be okay in the way only he could.

The yelling was too much for her. Whenever she got inside her house, her father unleashed his wrath on her. It was too much to handle. That's why when his bedroom lights turned off she was gone. The window was handy for her to sneak out of and she had plenty of previous experience.

When the lights on the house came on after her pounding on the door, she broke down at the sight of him.

Blaine watched on, seeing the tears stream down her face. "Quinn, what happened?"

She shook her head, violently wiping the tears away. "Nothing. I just came to return your jacket."

Looking behind him, his eyes scanned the kitchen clock. "At midnight?"

"Yep."

"Come inside." That all the words Quinn needed to hear. Stepping inside the house, her arms covered around his neck and her head was buried in his neck.

Blaine felt the tears run down his neck and his heart broke. How anyone could reduce their daughter to this state was beyond him. He broke apart, leaning his forehead against hers. "Go sit down on the couch. I'll fix us some hot chocolate."

"Will you hold me when you get back?"

Hands immediately were placed firmly around her face, pulling her closer to him. "I promise when I get done I'll hold you and wipe away every single tear you shed."

It didn't take him long to appear from the kitchen to the living room, carrying two cups in his hands. Quinn was lying down, wrapped up in a blanket. "Here you go." He said, handing her the cup. "I made you herbal tea instead. It's the bedtime stuff so that should help you sleep."

"I have to drive home."

"I have a guest room."

"Fair enough." Quinn smiled, wiping the last of her tears away. She sat up, grabbing the tea and taking a long sip from it. The warm liquid ran down her throat, heating her whole body and making her feel better already.

"As promised." Blaine remarked, wrapping his arms around her. She laid her head on his shoulder, breathing in the familiar scent of him.

The two sat like that for minutes before Blaine asked the question she was desperately trying to push from her mind. "What happened, Quinn?"

"I don't want to talk about."

"Okay, then what do you want to talk about? Anything to keep your mind off of it."

"I don't want to talk. I want you to sing to me. I just need to hear your voice."

"Hold on, then." Untangling himself from her, Blaine was up the stairs and back, holding his guitar.

The music filled the room and Quinn's worries flew out the window. This time she knew exactly what song he had chosen and her heart began to beat out of her chest.

"_There I was again tonight, forcing laughter, faking smiles. Same old tired lonely place. Walls of insincerity, shifting eyes and vacancy vanished when I saw your face. All I can say is it was enchanting to meet you." _

"_Your eyes whispered have we met? Across the room, your silhouette starts to make its way to me. The playful conversation starts, counter all your quick remarks, like passing notes in secrecy. And it was enchanting to meet you. All I can say is I was enchanted to meet you."_

His eyes promptly landed on her as the chorus started up. Quinn could only look on in amazement. His voice, the look he was giving her, and the words he was singing all wrapped up into one was making her tremendously overwhelmed.

"_This night is sparkling, don't you let it go. I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home. I'll spend forever wondering if you knew, I was enchanted to meet you." _

"_The lingering question kept me up, 2 a.m. who do you love? I wonder 'til I'm wide awake. And now I'm pacing back and forth, wishing you were at my door. I'd open up and you would say, it was enchanting to meet you. All I know is I was enchanted to meet you…" _

"_This night is sparkling, don't you let it go. I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home. I'll spend forever wondering if you knew. This night is flawless don't you let it go. I'm wonderstruck, dancing 'round all alone. I'll spend forever wondering if you knew I was enchanted to meet you."_

As his fingers lingered over the chords, Blaine moved closer to Quinn, his eyes never leaving hers. He needed her to understand how much she meant to him; the fact that he couldn't and wouldn't allow himself to take his mind off of her—which Quinn fully understood as the words to the song said it all.

"_And this is me praying that, this was the very first page, not where the storyline ends. My thoughts will echo your name until I see you again. These are the words I held back as I was leaving too soon. I was enchanted to meet you." _

Quinn wasn't sure if it was his beautiful voice, the way his fingers gently strummed the guitar or the fact that the words that were coming up was something she often thought about since meeting Blaine. It was a mystery to her, but she couldn't stop herself from joining in with him.

"_**Please don't be in love with someone else. Please don't have somebody waiting on you. Please don't be in love with someone else. Please don't have somebody waiting on you."**_

"_**This night is sparkling, don't you let it go. I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home. I'll spend forever wondering if you knew…This night is flawless, don't you let it go. I'm wonderstruck, dancing 'round all alone. I'll spend forever wondering if you knew I was enchanted to meet you."**_

"_**Please don't be in love with someone else. Please don't have somebody waiting on you."**_

As the song ended, Quinn kept her focus on Blaine. She wanted to crack a joke about him singing a Taylor Swift song to her—in an attempt to break the tension. But his eyes bore into her soul and only one question came to mind.

"Did you mean that? I mean…um is that how you felt after we met that day in the Lima Bean?"

Blaine moved as close as he could to where she was propped up against the edge of the couch. His mouth lingered over her ear for a brief moment before moving down in front of her lips.

"Yes."

It was Blaine this time who initiated the kiss, throwing Quinn completely off her game. However, as his forceful lips ran over hers she rapidly recovered; moving her arms around his back. For the first time that night, she realized he only had a tank top covering his upper body. Her mind had been on her father that she barely paid attention to what he was wearing. Quinn's fingers lightly traced the muscles in his back before moving up and down his arms, noting how strong and protecting they felt.

His tongue danced across her bottom lip, causing her to open her mouth slightly and allow him access. He tasted just as she imagined—sweet and intoxicating. His body pressed against hers, which in return made her clutch onto his shirt tightly. She loved the feel of their tongues moving against each other's, both fighting for dominance; the feel of his body against hers, pressing down, covering her as he kissed away all her pain. It was the most exhilarating feeling she had ever felt in her life.

Like the time in the park, both of them seemed to realize exactly how fast things were heating up, as they found themselves once again cheating on their significant others. Blaine pulled away at the same time Quinn pushed against him.

"I'm so sorry, Quinn. I can't believe I keep doing that." He ran a shaking hand over his lips, tracing the spot where she had kissed him. His whole mouth was tingling and that had to mean something, didn't it? But they couldn't. Yet again he had broken Rachel's trust.

"You've got to stop apologizing, Anderson." Quinn lightly smiled.

"Yeah, well we've got to stop kissing." He stated firmly, pushing himself off of her.

"How about…" she drew out, placing her hand on his chest. "We just don't talk about it and go back to your promise of holding me. I've dealt with enough tonight and diving into the subject of why our lips keep finding each other is only going to make my head spin off the hook. We'll deal with it in the morning."

Blaine could only nod his head as she laid her head against his shoulder. His arms moved around her waist in a comforting manner. The twosome sat in quietness, soaking up each other's touch and wondering exactly what to do with Sam and Rachel.

* * *

It wasn't long before Quinn was sound asleep, head still propped up against Blaine. He couldn't help but to admire how adorable she was. She captured every part of him, and she was slowly working her way into his heart.

As peaceful as she looked, he knew she'd need a proper sleep after the night she had and the position she currently was in would render that impossible. Moving his arms around her waist, he picked her up bride style, careful not to disturb her out of her sleep.

It took only a minute to have her up the stairs, and into the guest room's bed. He watched her for a moment, burning the image of her into his mind. Not like she hadn't been there already. Slowly kissing her forehead he whispered a soft "goodnight, Quinn" before heading out the room.

His head hit the pillow, thoughts of a certain blonde swimming around everywhere. Rachel would be disappointed in him, along with everyone in the Glee club. But the way his heart was pumping, the feel of her hands still on his back, and the way her lips sent sparks throughout his body—he could care less. All he wanted was Quinn, despite the consequences. But at the moment, that seemed like a far off dream.

Being Prince Charming was a lot harder than the movies made it out to be.

* * *

A/N: So there you go. Again the feedback is awesome and I'm sorry if this chapter isn't as good as the rest. Like I said I've been sick, but I didn't want to make you guys wait any longer than necessary. Like always all grammar/spelling errors are mine and the song used was Enchanted by Taylor Swift.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Nope, even after all this time I still don't own Glee, the characters, or the songs used.

A/N: Even as a writer, there are no words I can fathom to come up with how sorry I am about taking this long to update. My laptop broke and by the time I was finally able to get a new one, well life and school decided to get in the way. But I need to get this story done. For some reason I just felt like it was needed to be written. So forgive me, maybe? This was originally one chapter but it ğot so long I split it into two.

* * *

The sunlight that blared onto Quinn's sleeping form wasn't what woke her up. Images of her father, drunk father at that, happened to be the exact thing that had aroused her out of her slumber. Her forehead was drenched with sweat, her heart had to be going ninety to nothing, and as she sat up in the bed, the first thing that hit her was an earth shattering headache. Quinn only woke up with a headache to this extent for two reasons; she had a massive hangover or she had cried herself to sleep. Seeing as she made a vow to never drink after Beth (Rachel's party being the only exception), it could only have been the second option. Why would she have spent the night away crying? And how did her bedspread suddenly turn from purple to navy during the course of the night?

Like a much needed slap to the face, her memory was no longer a cloud of dust. Everything came rushing back to her at once: Blaine, her father, Blaine, running away from home, Blaine's jacket, screaming, their kiss, crying, Blaine's muscles. With her recollection also came the ever consuming emotion of guilt. She had cheated on Sam for the second time, third if she counted the time with Finn.

_Perfect, Fabray. _

Sitting up in the bed, Quinn shook out that annoying, yet honest, voice in her head. Right now wasn't the time to mentally argue with herself about how much of a complete failure she was. There was still the issue of having to face Blaine, but she had to find him first.

Once she had slipped out of the bed, she tossed her hair around, trying somehow to make it look presentable. What Quinn assumed to be Blaine's guest room was lovely, but had no mirror, so he would just have to deal with her morning appearance, even if she felt insecure the whole time walking down the stairs.

_Like you don't want him to see you in the morning. Just under different circumstances. _

"Shut up," Quinn mumbled right as the scent of her favorite food hit her nostrils. Abruptly the sight of Blaine made her stop on the bottom step.

His back was turned to her as he slaved over a hot stove. Quinn took the opportunity to enjoy the man in front of her. For the first time, except maybe last night but Quinn was too frazzled to pay attention, his hair was not plastered to his head with hair gel. It looked good, naturally curly, and flashes of her gripping onto it as he kissed down her neck passed through her mind. No, she refused to think about him, his body, his lips, or how nice his butt looked in the tight jeans he had on. In that moment, Quinn made a promise to herself. There was no way in hell she would kiss Blaine again-not until she figured out exactly what to do with Sam, and of course tell him about the two times this had already occurred.

As if on cue, Blaine turned to face her, pot in hand but it was soon placed back on the stove when his eyes grazed her still figure. A hand immediately went to his hair, and Quinn held back a laugh at the panicked look on his face.

"I had hoped I could get this cooked and already be upstairs finishing up before you came down. Dammit, you are not supposed to see me like this." Blaine burst out from around the counter, only to be stopped by Quinn's hand pressed firmly on his chest when he tried to make a mad dash passed her. Her fingers trailed gently against the muscles under his shirt before she moved them up, over his neck and buried it deep in his curls.

"I love it. Don't get me wrong, the hair gel is cute and makes you look like you just stepped out of a Disney cartoon-which is a good thing, trust me, but this..., " she let her grip get tighter before going on, "this is you."

The stairwell was way too small, and Blaine's body was pinned up against the wall. It was almost too much for him. The scent that Quinn always gave off, the feel of her hand in his hair, her body inches from his. If Blaine hadn't learned self control in middle school, he was pretty sure that all of those elements tied into one would have made him get hard. All he could picture was taking Quinn right then and there up against the wall, but he was the big romance guy. Sex up against the wall while standing on a set of stairs was hot, not romantic.

Quinn was the first to break this trance that seemed to be fueled with sexual tension just by simply clearing her throat and releasing the hand in his hair.

"Bacon, huh? Smells good. Is it done?" She stepped away from him, not even waiting for his reply.

Blaine followed after her, simply noddng his head in response. "Um, yeah. It's ready to be chowed down on," he replied, letting out an awkward laugh in the process.

Honestly Quinn had no clue what had just happened on the stairs. Moments before she was making a promise to herself, only to find her body ready to jump him within seconds. Things really had to change, and if that meant putting up a barrier between them then so be it.

After three minutes of complete silence, and several nervous glances, the pair sat on the two bar stools stationed in front of Blaine's kitchen counter. The bacon had been split between them, and Quinn giggled at the pure look of bliss on Blaine's face.

"Laugh all your want, Quinn, but I can't help but to enjoy this moment. It has been ages since I've had meat, never mind bacon," he said, smirking at her.

Quinn was taken by surprise. "Wait, you actually gave up meat for Rachel?"

"Of course. When you love someone you'd do anything for them," Blaine said and shrugged his shoulders. The look on her face made him realize exactly what he had said and he dropped the piece of bacon from his hand back onto the plate. "Quinn I didn-"

"Don't, Blaine. I honestly can't think about any of that at the moment." That was the best excuse Quinn could muster up on the spot. In reality, she was just trying to hide the fact that when he put love and Rachel into the same sentence it stung. No, stung was a weak word to cover how it made her feel, but she refused to think up all the horrendous adjectives she could use to describe precisely what she was feeling. Sam came first.

The silence fell over them once more, and Blaine wished he could be anywhere else in the world-besides maybe Hades. Why had that sentence slipped out of his mouth? Did he love Rachel? The fact of the matter was that he had never questioned if it was love he felt for Rachel. This was due to the fact that up until now no other person had ever came into the picture. No one, except Quinn Fabray, and like hell was he giving up on her. He had to have one last sign, something to tell him for sure that she was who he needed in his life. But of course the million dollar question was what exactly? Blaine searched his brain for a moment, his eyes observing that Quinn seemed to be lost in her own head also. He needed her to kiss him again. Just one more kiss, and he prayed that that one kiss would hold all the answers he was desperately seeking for.

_I am going to kiss Quinn Fabray one more time. _

Quinn shot her companion a sideways glance and let out an inaudible sigh.

_I am never kissing Blaine Anderson again. _

* * *

Blaine was positioned on his couch, PS3 controller in his hand, and his eyes carefully glued to the screen. When Quinn had said she needed a shower, Blaine took her around the bathroom, showing her things like where the towels were kept, before heading back downstairs. The moment she had cut on the shower, Blaine's mind went straight to the fact that she was naked in the same house as him. That was a dangerous combination, so he figured it would be a good idea to drag out his dad's video games as a way to distract his apparently perverted mind.

He just hoped his plan would work. It was cheesy, oh boy was it, but deep down he knew Quinn was a sucker for the romantics. Sure he had to pull some strings, and break out the emergency credit card his parents had left in his trust. Blaine doubted they would even notice... at least he hoped. The zombies on the screen started to narrow in on him, and he turned his attention back to the screen as he tried to survive, much like he was trying to with his relationship situation.

While Blaine was busy clicking buttons like a mad man, Quinn finally got a chance to check her reflection in the mirror. She didn't like what she saw. Before when she would stand in the same position she was in now, the face staring back at her would be hard, cold, emotionless. Now, she just looked like a frightened child who had gotten lost in a shopping mall. Scared, hopeless, and filled with every single emotion possible. Blaine had consumed her, and in a different world she knew they would be together. But here and now was not that world. She had priorities she had to think of including: her parents, her friends, college, and finally her boyfriend. There was no room for a former Warbler on that list. Besides, clearly he 'loved' Rachel, which if Quinn hadn't been so pissed about she would have laughed. He sure did seem to love her the last few weeks, right?

Quinn rolled her eyes while changing into the clothes Blaine had supplied her. Nothing too boysih, a pair of black McKinley athletic shorts and a red Titans t-shirt. Blaine had insisted that they swing by her house to get more clothes, reassuring her that her father couldn't do anything while he was present. Quinn couldn't take that risk though, so his clothes would have to do-even if they did smell of him and it didn't help her one bit.

Thirty minutes later, her hair was dried and looked perfectly presentable like always, though she didn't have any makeup with her so she had to forego that process.

_You win some; you lose some. _

"I think you have been spending way too much time with Puck, Anderson. Video games will rot your brain out, you know?"

Blaine's head spun around at the sound of Quinn's approaching voice and for a moment he forgot how to breathe. Quinn had always been breathtakingly beautiful to him, but this was yet another side of her that he had not seen. The simple side, one without makeup and her dresses or her uniform. She had always put on a show for everyone as Blaine had witnessed several times, and now he got to see her without her protection on, and in his opinion he had never seen something as stunning. Plus, she looked damn good in his clothes.

The staring and non-talking began to make Quinn feel insecure. She wrapped her arms around her body, looking down in a way to hide her face from him. "I know. I look hideous without makeup, but it's life I guess." Her eyes were too busy studying the floor that she didn't even notice Blaine getting up. A flicker of sparks ran through her when he placed his hand on her chin, forcing her head up so that their eyes met.

"I love it. Don't get me wrong, the makeup and uniform is hot, but this is you." There was a playful smile on his face but Quinn read the truthfulness all over it. Never in her life did she think she could blush as much as she was in that moment. Humiliation was creeping up, yet she couldn't stop the warm smile from developing.

"Thanks," she said. When her eyes landed on the television she looked back at him. "So are we going to do something, or is video games what you had in mind?"

Blaine snapped out of whatever world he had just ventured to and shook his head. "Oh, no. To be honest I am not really a video game guy. I just thought I'd freshen up my skills for the next time I see Puck. I actually have something special planned for you." A wide grin was thrown her way and Quinn feared the worst.

Over their time together, Quinn had really gotten to understand the ends and outs of Blaine. It was only natural that she was scared of his so called plans. Knowing him, it would be cheesy, yet incredibly sweet, and above all spontaneous. Just that word itself frightened Quinn. She liked order, structure. She liked to know exactly what was going to happened. That way she could stay one step ahead of the game, and even though she still felt like she could be one hundred percent at herself with Blaine, that didn't stop her from still wanting to be in control over everything.

"Uh, right. What is it?"

"Close your eyes." Blaine grabbed her shoulders and led her to the front door.

Losing one of her senses, especially her sight was definitely not having control. "No, Anderson."

Blaine let out a small huff. Sometimes Quinn could be the most frustrating person. He understood that she had extreme trust issues, but sometimes he just wished she'd let him have the reigns. But if she was going to be that way then he would just have to take matters into his own hands. He turned her around, moved her body in front of him, and placed his hands tightly over her eyes.

"Sometimes I really don't like you," she said as she stood there with her back pressed against him. What else could she do? Blaine might be lacking in the height department, but made up for it in strength. There really was no point trying to fight off his hands. Besides, a small part of her was intrigued and overall excited. Just a small part though.

The sensation of not being able to see was a new one for her. Ever since childbirth, Quinn had been terrified of the dark, or more like what could be lurking there. Now that she was older, the fear wasn't as bad considering the idea of the booegyman waiting patiently every night to come snatch her up was ridiculous. Russell Fabray, however, was a different kind of monster all in himself.

When Blaine didn't respond, or move for that matter, Quinn shook her head. "Blaine, are we going to move or?"

"Patience, my dear. Just had to make sure it had arrived first."

_It? Arrived? Oh God. _

The sound of the Andersons' front door opening echoed through her ears, and Quinn became one big bundle of nerves. She honestly couldn't rack her brain hard enough to guess what Blaine had done. When he manuvered her through the door, she could have swore she heard the sound of an animal, it just wasn't clear enough to make out. Surely Blaine knew her parents would never let her take home an animal. One, she was going to be locked in her room for life just for the fact she had stayed out all night. Second, she had begged her parents for years for a pet. They had even made her give away a pet goldfish she won at the local fair when she was ten.

"Open up," Blaine said, barley above a whisper. When he removed his hands Quinn poked one eye open. If he hadn't been standing behind her she was for sure that she would have fell onto the grass due to the loss of balance she felt in that moment.

"I am not getting on that thing," she stated flatly before turning around and attempting to walk back inside the house. She stopped when Blaine grabbed her hand.

"Oh come on, Q. Live and little why don't you." Quinn looked back when he dropped her hand and watched as he walked over to the horse. The carriage was beautiful, she'd admit that and she was a sucker for the olden days when people had no other transportation than a horse and carriage, but riding down then streets of Lima, Ohio with Rachel Berry's boyfriend? Wasn't happening.

"Look how cute he is!" Quinn looked on as Blaine started to pet the horse's mane. "Come here."

Reluctantly and against her better judgement, Quinn's feet trailed across the grass. She eyed Blaine, trying her best to glare at him but failed miserably. Once again he had blown her away. What kind of guy did this for a girl? For a girl who wasn't even his girlfriend. For her. No matter how much her inner child was squealing about the sweet gesture, she refused to show any sign of appreciation.

"It's cute, but so are you and you don't see me riding you."

_Holy shit, did I just say that? _

Blaine's eyes widened in shock and he was positive he had chocked on his own spit. Quinn's cheeks flushed a deep shade of red, embarrassment struck all over her face. To spare her from anymore torture, Quinn latched onto his arm and dragged him to the other side of the horse and to the front of the carriage. Blaine just stared at her.

"Well, go on." She gestured with her hand. Blaine seemed confused that she had all of a sudden changed her mind but he didn't question it. Instead he followed her orders and climbed up into the contraption. Quinn followed suit, and nodded to the driver as she sat down next to Blaine.

"Hello and welcome!" The driver had a warm smile and gentle face. It automatically annoyed Quinn. "I hope you two lovebi-"

"Can it, pal. Let's get this over with," she snapped at him. Blaine rolled his eyes at her rudeness and watched as the man closed his mouth and turned back around.

"It's really not that bad. You are just being dramatic."

It was Quinn's go to roll her eyes. "I most certainly am not dramatic. You just can't spring things like this on people, especially people like me."

Blaine was starting to get frustrated with her. Why was she acting this way? Had he not went out of his way to make her feel safe the other night? And now he wanted to suprise her and what girl didn't dream of stepping out of the house and coming face to face with a horse drawn carriage? Apparently Quinn Fabray, that's who. What more did she want from him?

_Maybe for you to break up with your girlfriend and stop playing with her emotions. First you kiss her then you say you love Rachel. _

As much as he didn't want to admit it, that pestering voice in his mind was right and he realized they really were in the same boat. There was a want and a need that they both carried for each other, at least he thought Quinn felt the same, but neither one of them had made the move to dissolve the problem. They just kept running around in circles while kissing each other every now and then.

"I'm sorry. I was just trying to be spontaneous and fun. Don't you ever just feel like doing something wild?"

And there was that word again.

Looking over at him, Quinn raised her eyebrow. "If this is what you consider a wild time out on the town then you are a bigger geek than I first thought." The statement made Quinn lighten up for a brief second and she giggled.

It felt good to hear her laugh for what felt like the first time that day, and Blaine allowed himself to relax and lean back against the seat.

They sat in silence, only this time it was more serine than before. The carriage ran passed the many shops of downtown, and Quinn couldn't help but duck anytime she felt the eyes of the residents on them. The last thing she needed was one of the Cheerios to spot her or worse-Coach Sylvester. Blaine placed his hand on her shoulder, bringing her back to Earth.

"Huh?"

"I said calm down some. This is supposed to be fun, remember?"

Quinn merely nodded before turning back to her search for someone she knew. She heard Blaine sigh dramatically but ignored him.

Out of nowhere the carriage stopped, and Quinn noted that they had pulled over to the side of the curve.

"Sorry, gotta hit the can, ." The driver said. He jumped down and proceed into a nearby restaurant.

"Charming," Quinn mumbled when he was out of their sight. Blaine only chuckled in return. This wasn't the perfect spot to do his next objective on his 'Get Quinn Fabray's lips on mine' list, but he wasn't guaranteed that they would have another chance at being completely alone.

"I have another trick up my sleeve," Blaine smiled, but Quinn couldn't miss the nervousness in his voice. It made her internally freak out again.

"Oh, God."

Blaine leaned closer to her in a way to make this situation more intimate. "You really should stop saying that."

"Then stop pulling stuff out of thin air."

Blaine brushed her off and made a beeline for her hands, wrapping them up in his. "Quinn, I know things are a little confusing at the moment. No, very confusing but I want you to know that I don't regret a thing. Kissing you, holding you, and just our simple conversations have been all I could think about. I know there is the issue of Sam and Rachel, and I've been thinking about that also. I think we both need one final sign of assurance before we react because I don't want either of us to make a mistake."

The wheels in Quinn's mind were already spinning and she knew exactly where this was going. "I am not kissing you again."

"Yes you are." His grin was confident and it got under her skin. She decided not to comment on it. He could have his fun before she set him straight on exactly how things were going to work.

Blaine ran his tongue anxiously across his lower lip. It was scary to be singing to her, not only in public once more but also without any form of music. "Here goes nothing."

Quinn didn't know what to expect, but figured he was going to sing. That had kind of become a thing for them. His song choice didn't suprise her either. It was so typical of him.

"_Kiss me out of the bearded barley. Nightly, beside the green, green grass. Swing, swing, swing the spinning step, I wear those shoes and You will wear that dress."_

It was as if someone was throwing out money from the street, as the number of people lined up, all wanting a glance at what was going on. Quinn wanted to die, but it wasn't like she could just jump off and run down the street far, far away. That would just embarrass both of them. Blaine didn't seem fazed at all by the group and continued on.

_"Oh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight. Lead me out on the moonlit floor. Lift your up your open hand, strike up the band and make the fireflies dance. Silver moon's sparkling. So kiss me."_

Quinn moved her eyes from the crowd back onto Blaine. He had his eyes shut tight, and Quinn had never seen a more beautiful sight. She loved to see him perform, but it had never been this open and honest. At that moment he was exposed to the world, yet he didn't falter.

_"Kiss me down by the broke tree house. Swing me upon it's hanging tire. Bring, bring, bring your flowered hat. We'll take the trail marked on your father's map."_

_"Oh kiss me, beneath the milky twilight. Lead me out on the moonlit floor. Lift up your open hands, strike up the band and make the fireflies dance. Silver moon's sparkling, yeah. So kiss me."_

When the last word fell from his mouth, Blaine opened his eyes to meet with hers. All thoughts of where they were had left her, and now it was just them two. That was until she heard a male's voice call out.

"Kiss him!" The guy shouted, and Quinn could tell by his looks and clothing style that he wasn't much older than them. The whole crowd seemed to join in, chanting 'kiss him' over and over again.

Quinn looked at Blaine's lips, a major war going on inside of her. She swore she wasn't doing this again but no one had ever made her feel like this. What was the harm of one last kiss? She softly placed here lips on his and he returned the gesture. Their tongues met and both of them felt their whole body ignite. All the people around them began to cheer, and Quinn couldn't stop herself from smiling against his lips. Her whole body froze when she heard the roar of a familiar laugh over everything else. She never understood what people meant when they said their heart had sunk down into the pit of their stomach, but as she broke away and her suspicion was confirmed, she got the idea of it.

Santana stood there, shaking her head as she clapped. The exchange between them didn't go unnoticed and everyone ceased their talking.

"Just when I didn't think you could fuck up things even more, you go and prove me wrong, Fabray." Yes, it was stupid to have kissed Blaine like this, but hadn't her and Santana already had this talk? Right as she was going to ask what her friend meant, her eyes landed on the girl who stood next to Santana and she wanted to throw up.

"Rachel!" Blaine spoke for the first time, and he jumped down right as the brunette stormed off down the road. He stopped suddenly and turned back to Quinn.

"Go," she responded to his unspoken question. And with that answer he was gone.

"Well that was awkward," the young guy from earlier said. Everyone nodded in agreement and walked away from the scene.

The driver had returned and just stared at her.

"What?" She asked, a little more rudely than she had intended.

"Nothing. I've just never seen anything like that in all my years of working."

Santana decided to pipe in and Quinn realized she was still standing there. "Tell me about it, Charles."

Quinn looked at her in confusion. "Charles?"

"Yeah. All chauerfers name's are either Charles or James. Duh."

"Whatever your name is just take me home."

Santana pulled herself up inside the carriage and sat down beside Quinn. "Oh no you don't."

Quinn just groaned. This was just what she needed.

"Take a right up here. If I am going to lecture people on how big of a dumbass they are, I've gots to get me some ice cream in my system."

* * *

After Santana was gone, Quinn stood outside her house, dread filling her whole body of what kind of punishment her parents had in store for her. She couldn't go inside just yet, but where could she go? The answer was clear and before she knew it, she was standing outside the house that she had grown accustomed to. Would Blaine even be home? Or was he still with Rachel? Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening.

"Oh, uh, hey." She tried to smile at Blaine but didn't have the courage.

"I saw you through the window." It was odd for her to see him in the state he was in. The cheerful tone was now replaced with one of sorrow and regret.

Quinn played with the hem of his shorts that she still hadn't changed out of. "I am just going to cut to the chase. We both know what we want. At least, I think you want it too. We have to stop being childish and take action."

Blaine nodded his head. "Okay."

* * *

A/N: I just want to say thank you to my wonderful girlfriend. Without her support I probably wouldn't have returned to this story . The song used is Kiss Me, the Jason Walker version. I got the lyrics offline but when I listened to it, it seemed like some of the lyrics didn't match up. Basically I apologize if they are wrong. Grammatical/spelling errors are mine.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Nope, still not the owner of any of this but the words.

A/N: So as I said, this is continued from chapter five. Also I just wanted to add that if you are confused as to why this has a M rating it is due to the chapters coming up and well Santana's mouth.

* * *

"Mr. Shuester, we know you said we didn't have to do our duet project until after Sectionals but Blaine and I actually have something prepared for today."

"You mean besides making babies?"

Kurt slapped Santana's hand and glared. "Don't be gross." If he only knew half of what she did he'd be slapping someone else.

"Great. Just what I needed." Rachel spoke her first words since coming into the choir room and heading straight to the back corner, an act that hadn't gone unnoticed by the rest of the members.

"What is up with her? She's been sulking in the corner since she got in here."

Rachel shot Puck a glance but didn't respond. Kurt, Finn, Mercedes and Mike all shrugged their shoulders while Santana kicked his chair.

"Shut it Puckerman before I rip that squirrel off your head." Puck just turned back around.

Mr. Shuester clapped his hands. "Alright, hate to break up this party but I would like to hear what Quinn and Blaine have to offer us today." He motioned the two onto the floor.

Quinn and Blaine exchanged a look as they pulled up the two stools and sat down. It reminded Quinn of her duet with Rachel. Now look at her.

"We just worked on this last night so it might be a little shaky, but we want you to listen to the words very carefully." Blaine said the last part very slowly while looking at Rachel. At the same time Quinn's eyes landed on Sam. Sam seemed utterly confused, but she just hoped that by the end of it he would understand. Blaine had his guitar perched upon his knee and gave her the go ahead when he strummed the first chord, knowing she was the one to start them off.

_"Haven't you seen me sleepwalking? Cause' I've been holding your hand. Haven't you noticed me drifting? Oh, let me tell you, I am." _

Quinn had her eyes on Sam the whole time, much like Blaine with Rachel, even if she refused to acknowledge him. They both broke away to look at each other before Blaine jumped in.

_**"Tell me it's nothing. Try to convince me that I'm not drowning. Oh, let me tell you I am."**_

_**"Please, please tell me you know. I've got to let you go, I can't help falling out of love with you."**_

_"Why am I feeling so guilty? And why am I holding my breathe? Worry 'bout everyone but me, I just keep losing myself."_

_**"Tell me it's nothing. Try to convince me that I'm not drowning. Oh, let me tell you I am."**_

_**"Please, please tell me you know. I've got to let you go, I can't help falling out of love with you."**_

_**"Won't you read my mind? Don't you let me lie here and die here."**_

_**"Please, please tell me you know. I've got to let you go, I can't help falling out of love with you."**_

_"Haven't you noticed my sleepwalking?"_

The room was completely still. The song was so haunting and it was clear that everyone had received the message they were trying to send.

Rachel was the first to leave, followed by Santana. "Rach, wait," she called out after her.

_Rach? Since when we're they on a nickname basis? And I never did ask her what she was doing with Rachel yesterday. _

Sam was next in line. He just shook his head when he passed them, Kurt right on his heels.

"You have done some low things, Quinn, but I never imagined you'd go so far as to betray your best friend. And you?" Kurt scoffed looking at Blaine. "I have no words for you."

Quinn and Blaine just stood there, both knowing what they had done was wrong, but at the same time it was the most logical thing in the world. They quickly exited the door, passing a shocked Will Shuester.

"Um, I should probably go make sure none of them kill each other," he said, leaving the rest of the glee club glued to their seats.

They looked at each other and said in unison, "What the hell just happened?"

* * *

Blaine and Quinn didn't speak to each other the rest of the day. She hadn't spoke to Sam either, and hadn't even seen Rachel or Kurt. Cheerios practice was coming up, and she was just thankful that Mr Shuester had started scheduling their meetings before school started. It made things easier for her to balance. When the locker slammed, and she tossed her bag over her shoulders, there was a sinking feeling that someone was watching her. A group of Cheerios stood a little piece down the hallway, their eyes stuck to her. The leader of the pact was a freshman that Quinn recognized, but couldn't recall her name. Usually she didn't even bother to learn the younger girls name. Heather, maybe?

Whatever her name, Quinn felt sick when the girl shot an evil smirk at her. "You know ladies, my boyfriend was out in town the other day and boy did he have a story to tell me when he returned."

_Oh, no. Please, God no. _

"He told me that a certain blonde Cheerio was seen macking with none other than Rachel Troll Berry's boyfriend. To me that is so disgusting. I mean, it's so obvious that he's gay. Plus have you seen those bow ties he wears, and don't get me started on that awful hair gel." The girl's eyes never left Quinn and all at once everyone seemed to have zoomed in on her.

"Please, Quinn. Tell me you didn't sink that low. I mean first a baby and now this. " The girl laughed and it didn't take long for the rest to join it.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Quinn slung her bag down to the ground and stormed in their direction. It reminded her of the time she attacked Santana, but this time it felt as if her rage meter couldn't get any higher.

It threw Quinn off as to why the girl's smile grew bigger the closer she got. Then it hit her. No, literally blue slush stung her eyes, face, and body as it slid down her, making a plop sound when it got to the floor. It had been a long while since she had been on the receiving end of a slushie attack. The humiliation, the roaring laughter that surrounded her, the thought that Coach Sue was going to murder her since she didn't bring a back up uniform. It was all rushing back to her and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Freak!" One of her attackers screamed as she finally looked up. They were both jocks, two guys she recognized from the football team.

"That will show you what you deserve when you try to mess up the heirachy that we worked so hard to set in place," the other said, high fiving his friend.

She refused to let these people see her break down. Within a flash, Quinn took off down the hallway and entered the girl's bathroom. Sure, running away wasn't much less embarrassing than crying in front of the whole school, but it was all she knew to do. The image in the mirror was what finally pushed her over the edge and she gripped the bathroom sink, letting the tears free fall down her stained face.

* * *

As bad as she dreaded it, Quinn went on to practice. The last thing she needed was the crazy lady hunting her down only to find her weeping like a baby in one of the bathroom stalls.

She assumed that the giggling and whispering wouldn't be over with by the time she reached the field, and she had been right. All talking ceased when she walked up to Coach Sue. She had managed to clean her face off, but would need to take a trip to the dry cleaners after school.

"Q, what is the meaning of this?" Sue asked, her eyes roaming all over Quinn's uniform.

In response all Quinn could do was lift her shoulders up and shrugged.

Sue nodded her head. "Very well then. It's a dog eat dog world out there, Quinn. Sadly for you Smurfs go at the bottom of my pyramid. They freak me out. Let's go ladies," she screamed the last part through her megaphone and Quinn wished she could shove it down her throat.

Just when her day couldn't get any worse, Quinn spotted Blaine leaned up against her car as she walked across the parking lot. After practice she had found a spare pair of clothes in her gym locker so thank God she wasn't representing the 'Smurf look' as Coach had so nicely put it.

"You look lovely," he said when she reached the car. He was confused as to why she walked passed him and made a grab for her car door without saying a word, but he continued on anyway. "I was thinking maybe we could catch dinner tonight."

"My parents grounded me for life." Her hand was still on the door handle but at least she had spoke to him.

Blaine gave her a gentle smile. "There is no such thing as a life long grounding, Quinn. Besides, we will still see each other at school and if you snuck out once then I am sure we can sneak you out again. Just this time try not to get caught." When she didn't respond he pressed on. "Can I at least call you?"

"No," she said with no emotion at all.

"Hey, what is going on?" He placed his hand her shoulder but it was quickly shoved off.

"I got slushied today." That was all she gave him but Blaine put the pieces together.

"Because of us?"

Her face morphed from indifference to anger. "Of course because of us! No, wait there is no us. It's because of you. Because of that stunt you pulled yesterday. Because you just happened to show up at the Lima Bean that day. You just had to sit down that day and talk to me, didn't you?"

Blaine felt as if a train had come by and smashed into him, and he took a step back. "Quinn what are you saying?" He watched as she threw her hands up in the air and Blaine knew the worst was about to come.

"I am saying that this is over before it even started. Don't talk to me, don't keep doing things for me, don't even look at me. And for the love of God stop being so perfect!" She screamed in his face, and it took everything in her not to fall against the car when she looked into his eyes.

Blaine opened his mouth to speak but closed it instead of letting anything come out. Quinn watched as his face changed from confusion to hurt to flat out pure anger.

"All of this because you got slushied?" He actually laughed. "I bring a set of clothes to school everyday for that reason. What makes you so much more righteous than me?!" He looked at her for an answer before tossing his hand in he direction. "You know what, don't even answer that because everything that comes out of your mouth is pure garbage." He turned around and began to walk away.

She wanted desperately to call out to him but before she could get his name out, he turned back around.

"I gave my girlfriend up for you. I made myself look like a complete jackass in front of everyone." He shook his head furiously. "And this is what I get in return? You know all that stuff you said to me? About not talking to you? Well same goes for you. You may not talk to losers like me, but I sure the hell don't talk to cowards like you."

* * *

Hours later Blaine sat in his bedroom. He was sitting on the floor with his back leaned up against the door, completely rendered hopeless. It had been a long time since he had last cried, but as soon as his feet hit the carpet in his bedroom, they just came out. Every single word he had ever said to Quinn since that first day was on repeat in his head, especially the harsh ones. She had just hurt him so much. He felt betrayed, alone, and frightened. Nothing made sense to him anymore and for the first time since this tango had started, Blaine had no clue what to do.

* * *

A mile away in the Fabray household, Quinn mimicked the exact same position as Blaine did. Her head hit the door with a thud, and she didn't even have the strength to say ow. Why was she like this? She had the most incredible guy she had ever met wanting to be with her. And this is how she repays him for all the support and care he had shown her? Nothing made sense anymore. All she knew was this was the second time today that she had cried, and she prayed it wouldn't become routine.

Both of them knew there was only one person they could talk to. One person who wouldn't judge them due to that person making many mistakes throughout his life also. Blaine and Quinn picked up their phones and began to scroll down to the P's. When they reached the name, they hit the call button simultaneously.

* * *

A/N: I will try to update as quickly as possible. I also promise that the next chapter will make up for the depressed way I ended this *hint, hint*. Song used is Falling by The Civil Wars. As always all grammatical/spelling errors are mine.


End file.
